The Final War
by spiderrock
Summary: Since the beginning up to this day the Grail Wars didnt have a real winner. For years Magus had killed each other in order to obtain this power and had led this world to destruction. Until now. Gaia says its enough! One final battle one final chance for masters to achieve their dreams and one final chance for the world to be saved. Some edit done
1. Prologue

The beginning

I never expected this to happen. I swear that if there was a way I could stop this without involving any of you, I would take it.

You all look at me in disbelief of what I just said. I can't blame you; I usually let others do the dirty work. I know you seven are waiting for an explanation, and I will give it to you.

Everything began with the Holy Grail. I was there when the three families decided to cooperate and create one, some 200 years ago. At the very beginning I didn't care about this so-called Holy Grail War. I only agreed to supervise their work as a favor for one of my students, Nagato Tohsaka.

I won't deny that all their preparations were impressive. Using Nagato's connections with the Church and the Mage's Association they were able to start their ritual in peace. As I said, I didn't care, as their only goal was to obtain access to the Root. That was such a boring goal in my opinion, but those are the magi for you.

I can sense some of you are offended by my words. I didn't meant to insult you, and after I finish you'll understand the reason I think that goal is useless.

As you know, that ritual was the beginning of what would be called the Holy Grail Wars. Well, I don't need to explain that, since every one of you had to fight in them. After I witnessed the first ritual I grew bored and continued my travel around the parallel words.

There is where I found each of you, and I must admit that the worlds in which you live are very interesting. But there are some worlds that weren't so lucky. Driven by with my curiosity I decided to explore these worlds and learn the reason for their destruction.

I see your faces and I can assume many of you understand why those worlds were destroyed.

Yes, it was the work of the Grail, centuries of war in those cases, but then I wondered, why hasn't there been a hero or a leader to put an end to those battles? I continued to search, I continued to see, and I found that there were indeed people who tried to stop it.

One of those cases began with a participant in the Fourth War desiring to be a Hero of Justice. Yes, one of you is the very image of him. He slew all of the other participants but realized that the Grail was tainted and that it couldn't grant his wish. He used his Servant to destroy it, though he failed as this only managed to destroy the Grail's container.

I could explain the reason why it was tainted, though a couple of you already know the answer and I don't have too much time.

The second who tried to destroy it was a boy searching to be a Hero of Justice as well, having inherited the ideals of the first man I mentioned. Even though he had neither the strength of his father nor any form of self-preservation, he managed to win the War and seemingly destroy the Holy Grail.

But the story doesn't end there. His acts did nothing to stop the War; it only made it change locations. This time it took place in Romania, a small city called Trifas in which two factions fought for the Grail. The War was different, as there were 14 Servants. The damages done to the earth were seen as an offense to Gaia. The world did the only thing she could. Alaya sent her dogs-the Counter Guardians-with a single order: eliminate magic. Gaia knew well enough that man's search for the Root would ultimately cause the destruction of the world, that why it begged Alaya to exterminate the source of his destruction. One of you seems to understand that what I'm saying is not as crazy as the others think.

Many tried to fight back but were killed without mercy. Men, women, and children alike fell to the Counter Guardians. It didn't matter who they killed, the only thing they saw were targets.

Eventually they eradicated magic, but in doing so they put the world in a stagnant state. Gaia didn't care; she only cared about her survival. A red-clad man with white hair and brown skin told me this story. It seems some of you know him. He disappeared not long after he finished the tale. I met him in every destroyed world and he would tell me the same story with a few variations in each one.

After learning this I feared that something similar could happen in my world of origin and I did the most stupid thing I could think of. I told everything to the Gaia of my realm, more specifically to one of her dogs.

The Counter Guardians returned to Gaia and told her what I said. She would act to prevent any more damage to the world and purge it of magic. I took the wrong approach; now you glare at me with eyes full of hatred. I admit I deserve it, but don't forget it was the magi who began all this.

Going back to the story, I began to think of a way out, and then I realized it: we needed a winner. In all the worlds there was never a winner, a real winner, who made a wish and ended the ritual. They destroy it, they reject it, they use it for their own benefit, but no one makes a true wish.

I stopped the Counter Guardians and asked for an audience with Gaia. Surprisingly she agreed. I proposed an option which would stop the slaughter of innocents and the Wars with one final fight. She deigned to use her power in creating the last War.

She'd create a real Grail, much more powerful than any one of you have seen, and let it choose the participants from the past, future, and present. 35 people were selected and divided into 5 factions. Gaia seemed happy and decided upon a special place for such a big battle, but she warned me that if a wish was not made the world would end. No matter who won, the winner could save it or use it to become a king. Regardless, a wish had to be made.

I agreed with this. I began to look at the competitors, and all of them appeared in the story that man told me. I had made another mistake; I just created a bigger battle that would once again have no winner.

If that happened, the purge would destroy everything and everyone. Then I remembered each one of you. You are what we normally call irregularities. You see, none of you exist in any other universe beside your own.

That gives all of you the possibility to interact with other worlds and influence them in ways you cannot even begin to imagine.

I united all of you here so you may become the sixth faction in this War. I want you seven to fight and win and wish for the world to forget the existence of the Grail. I want you to risk your lives to ensure world is not destroyed by the Counter Guardians and the Grail doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

I know what I'm asking for is not fair and you are welcome to curse me and hate me as I'm asking you to sacrifice yourselves for a world that is not your own. But I don't have a choice, each of you are Masters that managed to achieve things that none of the others would be capable of. So I'm asking you-no, for the first and last time in my life, I am begging you to save this dying world.

The seven figures didn't say anything. All of them were trying to understand the words the old man before them had just said. One of them walked to the man until he stood just a few steps away from him. His eyes turned a bright crimson hue.

"Tell me, when do we begin?"

* * *

To make sure This will a battle between six factions. Fate stay night. Fate Zero. Fate Extra. The two factions of Fate Apocrypha and One faction of Master from the world of Fanfic. I thank all the authors who lend me their OC and starting the next chap i will put their names and the Characters as this is only the Prologue. Thanks Deux Silences for the beta. So wish me gook luck and Review!


	2. Chapter 1 The Gathering

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 1: The Gathering

A girl with black hair, messy in the front and long at the back, wearing a denim summer dress found herself coming to in the cold, dark streets of a city she had never seen before. Atosaki Kurokawa slowly remembered how she had ended up like this. Back then, she'd awakened in a white room with six other people. Seven black chairs were found in front of her.

Atosaki recalled a boy perhaps a little older than her, clad in a striking red jacket. Besides that he wore a T-shirt and matching pants which complimented his short raven hair and eyes. A black glove concealed his left hand. He looked accustomed to all this as he took a seat.

There had also been a man with similar short, sooty hair wearing a white dress shirt along with a black tie, pants and shoes. He seemed to be in his twenties and displayed an annoyed expression as he seated himself near the boy.

Next was a third male, this one with dark brown hair and dead gray eyes. He had on a white shirt with a dark-colored tie and trench coat, a leather belt and a pair of gloves, pants and shiny dress shoes all in matching black. Even though he leaned casually against the wall, he showed such a serious face that Atosaki couldn't help but think he was a little scary.

She clambered into a seat near the young man with the red jacket as she continued to look at the others.

At her right side sat a blond boy with pale skin and blue eyes, a small scar traced under the left one. He was clothed in a black jacket and a bleached t-shirt with the words "Are You Alone" printed smack-dab in the middle, plus black sneakers and blue jeans. A silver cross on a chain dangled from the right pocket.

Behind her she saw another boy, this one with jet hair and eyes, dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, a blue vest and denims. His left hand gripped a Japanese katana. He seemed rather calm, much like the red-jacketed boy.

On Atosaki's left was a young woman with black hair, light skin and blue eyes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved white blouse under a black, sleeveless vest, as well as black pants and tie. Fashionable but functional boots rounded out her attire, along with a long and black overcoat. She looked bored and apparently uncaring about the current situation, but her eyes were bright and alert. Atosaki turned her head and realized there was a silvery-haired, bearded old man with a scar running over his left eye. He wore dark robes and held a black cane in his right hand.

"Welcome, young Masters," he finally said.

None of the seven people reacted in any way to his words. The magus seemed rather disappointed, but just for a second. He sighed and his expression turned dead serious as he began a heartfelt monologue. The girl could feel his sadness, his despair, and how much he really hated the fact the he was asking them to save his world. When the old man finished, she and the others remained silent. She couldn't deny that he was asking for something pretty crazy and very suddenly, and she didn't quite know how to answer his plea for help. Then the boy with the red jacket stood up and began walking to where the old man sat. She saw his eyes turn a bright crimson hue.

"Tell me, when do we begin?"

Atosaki was surprised, but she wasn't the only one—the others seemed it too, even the old man. Before he could answer, a voice interrupted him.

* * *

Emiya Kiritsugu never expected that he would find himself in a silver room with the same people his informants had found to be Masters in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Not only that, he realized he had neither his trusted Thompson Contender nor his Origin Bullets.

He looked at the people inside the room and did not try to converse with them. They did the same. Still, without words, he realized some of them were related to each other.

There was a priest his informants had identified as Kotomine Kirei, who stood near a man with a tailored maroon suit and brown, almost black hair known as Tohsaka Tokiomi. There had been rumors about the latter being Kirei's mentor in magic but after being chosen as a Master he'd left him. Still, in Kiritsugu's eyes, they seemed very friendly toward each other.

Then there was Matou Kariya. Kiritsugu could barely recognize the young man who now had almost half of his face disfigured and his hair turned ghost-white. Still it didn't surprise him; he knew that was how the magic of the Matous worked and assumed he became that way because he wanted the Grail. Feeling no pity, Kiritsugu only noticed how Kariya glared at Tokiomi.

In the left corner was a younger boy with black hair outfitted in a forest-green sweater and pants with a white shirt and yellow tie. Kiritsugu didn't have the slightest idea who he was or why he was there, but he could see fear in those eyes. Not because of him or the other Masters, because of a blond man wearing a stiff cobalt-hued coat standing near him. He knew his identity: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. Kayneth ignored the boy and like Kiritsugu observed the room.

He peered at the right-hand corner and found a ginger-haired teenager wearing a purple jacket with a white t-shirt and jeans sitting with his head down. His eyes seemed lost and even though he was on the other side of the room, Kiritsugu detected the strong smell of blood coming from him. The worst part was his reaction at being in the room, he seemed bored. Being on guard like almost everyone there or fearful like that boy were understandable, but being bored was not. After observing him Kiritsugu could only conclude that this youth was either a killer or a madman. Exactly as he finished analyzing the six Masters, a voice rang out from nowhere and spoke:

Welcome. You seven are the Faction of Zero.

* * *

Inside a crimson-walled room, a white-haired, tan-skinned young man wearing a somber cassock and a red mantle sat in a black chair, looking at the six people trapped there. He was the sole survivor of an experiment that had happened in northern Europe. Some foolish magi developed it so they could have their own Holy Grail War, as they hadn't been selected to participate in the one from Fuyuki. The experiment went horribly wrong. Instead of seven Servants, only one appeared, and not only that, he had gained a real body. The Servant itself didn't understand how the magi before him had managed to achieve this, as if he cared, and after killing all those involved in the ritual he went on the move. His travels brought him to this room, and he found it all quite amusing as he continued to look at the other six inside.

After a while he decided that five of them were boring traditional mages There was only one he found interesting. He felt the man was a magus, but he carried a thick stench of blood and gunpowder. To him that alone was strange, as magi usually detested the use of weapons. Also, that coppery scent made him wonder about the man's bloodline, and if he was a freelancer or something similar. The person in question had a scarred face coupled with razor-sharp eyes. He wore leather pants and a black jacket with an orange V-neck t-shirt underneath. He stood up and walked to where he was resting on the ground.

"Hello, I am Kotomine Shirou, nice to meet you," he said with a fake smile.

The man opened his eyes and looked at him like he didn't want to answer, but he didn't have a reason not to.

"Kairi Sisigou," was his response, and he shut his eyes again and pretended to sleep.

Shirou returned to his seat and couldn't help but think that things would get interesting. Then what he had been waiting for finally happened when he heard a voice.

Welcome Masters, you are the Red Faction.

* * *

Leonardo Bistario Harwey has been raised to be a leader since birth. No, that was wrong; he had been raised to be a ruler. After all, his world of hundreds, perhaps thousands of years into the future needed a savior. It had entered a stagnant state and his family had claimed sixty percent of the globe. Magic still existed but in a lesser degree. There were no big families of magi or Magic Crests anymore, so any complex magic was gone and the search for the Root stopped. Even after the purge of Gaia, people with Magic Circuits were still born, but instead of using them in spells or rituals, the Harwey family used them to strengthen the different abilities humans possessed, like strength, speed, and reflexes.

In other words, with no more development they used what remained of magic in order to create a cage in which humanity could survive. The Harweys consolidated their power using the ignorance of the survivors to their advantage.

Leo looked at the other six people that like him stood within a golden room. By his side was his brother Julius, brooding like always. While being his brother in name, Leo didn't really feel anything toward the man. If nothing else he saw him as hired help. He also viewed this situation as a test for him to prove himself as a king. Even without knowing where he was or what was about to happen, he was sure he would be able to overcome it, the result of the idea that he was a superior being reinforced since birth. Then a voice was heard in the room, and he had to smile.

Welcome, Masters of the Future, you are the White Faction.

* * *

Emiya Shirou couldn't understand how he and the Masters he had fought in the Grail War were now in front of him. They were all there, including the child with silver hair he had seen die at the hands of Gilgamesh and the girl with twin ponytails wearing a red turtle neck whose Servant was a future version of himself. Even his school teacher, who was actually an assassin and died while protecting Caster, had returned.

He searched for a boy with blue hair who had been his friend, Shinji Matou, the Master of Rider, but he couldn't find him. In his stead was a girl with long, purple hair.

"Sakura?" he said sadly to his friend.

"Sen…pai?"

Fate was indeed a cruel mistress. Shirou had managed to avoid fighting her during the War because she had given Rider to Shinji, but this time around Gaia didn't allow it and forced her into being a true Master.

Before Shirou could think of something to say, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his left hand and watched with horror the stigma he thought was gone appear once again with a red glow.

"So this is the Grail War?" asked someone, stealing his thoughts.

Shirou looked for the owner of the voice and found a woman wearing a purple suit and black gloves. She had magenta hair and alabaster skin, with a mole under her left eye. He didn't know it, but her name was Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Shirou found himself unable to answer the question.

"Yes it is." Rin spoke with a solemn voice while looking at the woman.

"That can't be, Tohsaka," he finally said. "We destroyed the Grail!"

Rin shot him a troubled glare. She understood his feelings but there was nothing any of them could do, so she just lowered her gaze.

"Then everything we'd done was for naught?!" Shirou screamed as he fell to his knees.

Sakura walked up to him and consoled him along with Ilya and Rin. Bazett and Kuzuki ignored his outburst. No one noticed the dark, grinning figure in one of the corners.

Then a voice was heard in the room, much to Shirou's dismay.

Welcome, Masters of Fate, you are the Blue Faction.

* * *

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the head of his family, considered one of the greatest magicians still alive, couldn't be happier when he found himself in that black room looking at the red sigil on his hand.

He was a man with long, turquoise-blue hair wearing a white vest and cape with black formal pants and shoes. Held in his hand was an ebony cane adorned with a golden snake that surrounded a blue gem on its top. While everybody who looked at him would concluded that he wasn't older than twenty years, in truth he had lived for more than a century.

In the last hundred years an interest had been born in his mind. After seeing the First and Second Holy Grail Wars in Fuyuki he couldn't stop himself from desiring the Grail. He had tried to steal it during the Third War seventy years ago, aided by the Nazis he'd promised to give a share of power so they could conquer the other countries, but he failed. In the end he was defeated by one of the Masters of that War and was unable to get his hands on the Grail.

But still, even with that failure he didn't really care. He had seen it, he knew how it worked and he believed that with all the resources at his disposal he could create another Grail with similar or even greater power. Yet even after seventy years he found himself unable to do it, but now he was in a black room from which emanated unspeakable power. He knew because of the Command Seals that he was about to fight for the Grail, but he knew this one wasn't the same he had tried to steal from the Einzberns. This was, by far, much more powerful, and he wanted it. He looked around the room. Even with its pitch-black walls, floor and ceiling he could see the other six people in it. He didn't bother to try to understand the reason behind such a phenomenon, as it didn't pique his interest.

Out of them five were part of his clan and almost all of them were replaceable, except for one girl in a wheelchair: the girl with long brown hair, Fiore. His little Fiore was the only one he considered worthy in the whole family of being his successor. He saw the boy behind her with short hair of the same color looking at his sister with eyes full of concern.

Darnic would always wonder how the two siblings could be so different. Fiore was a genius. Of course she had to pay the price for her power, her body ending up being crippled, but her brother was useless. The boy, Caules, didn't have any talent whatsoever, and Darnic expected little from him. If anything he wanted Fiore to cut ties with him, as in his eyes being with Caules would only hinder her progress. He began wondering about the reason for the seven of them to be reunited in this room. He could only guess that the rules of the War would change, but he knew the one about a single winner would never be altered. Darnic had no qualms about killing his own family since he saw them as disposable, but he could allow himself to spare his heir. Then a voice which would answer his questions was heard inside the room.

I greet you all as you officially become the Black Faction.

* * *

After giving its greetings, the voice was heard once more in the six rooms and while those confined within didn't know, it gave the same message.

I am Gaia, also known as the World.

You have all been chosen as Masters to participate in the Final Holy Grail War.

There are 42 Master and Servant Pairs divided into 6 Factions.

There are no rules. The fight will continue until only one Master remains.

I wish each of you good luck.

Atosaki looked at the old man, who now carried a shocked expression full of despair.

"No… It's too soon. I thought we had more time," he said.

He stared at the seven in front of him and whispered a phrase before disappearing.

"…" She didn't manage to hear him.

Then, one by one, the other six people in the room began to fade away just like the old man did. Atosaki found herself in a smaller room with a pentagram on the floor and an inscription on the wall.

Live or die by the sword, let your destiny be decided by this chant.

Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled. I hereby propose, my will shall create thy body and thy sword shall create my fate. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me! I hereby swear I shall be all that is good in the eternal world. I shall be the disposer of the evil in the eternal world. Thou, clad with the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint, Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!

Atosaki's Command Seal began to glow as she recited it. She didn't understand its meaning or know what would happen once she finished, but still she went on, almost compelled to; after all if what the old magus had said was true then she couldn't let this world die.

The circle glowed and from it emerged a man attired in a black full-body suit, with a blue and white fur pelt slung over his right shoulder and a dark visor covering his eyes. He had pure white skin and ultramarine hair tied back in a long tail that ended with blood-red tips. Her eyes widened. It was someone she knew very well.

"Lance!" she cried as she jumped up and embraced him. The man hugged the petite girl back and even when he appeared to show no emotion, it seemed he was happy to see her. He had been Atosaki's Lancer-Class Alter Servant in her world, and once again he came to her aid.

Then the room crumbled and she found herself in the streets of a city. This was the present. It had been two hours since she started walking around. She didn't know where she was and with no money or supplies she didn't have many options. Lance had turned into spirit form, which she didn't even know he could do. The strangest thing was that in those two long hours she hadn't seen a single person.

"Hey there, missy." She heard a voice coming from behind her.

Atosaki turned and found a man with spiky blue hair wearing a red shirt and black pants. He had a smile that make her shiver in fear.

"Hello. …Who are you?"

"Apologies, the name is Gene Rum. I'm a freelancer, also known as the Storms Treads."

"Freelancer? Storm Treads?"

"Yes." He raised his left hand and show her his command seal in the form of three lightning bolts. "Kill her, Lancer."

"Alright," she heard a monotone voice reply.

In that very instant, at his left side appeared a man with long white hair wearing black-and-golden armor with a bright ruby centered in the chest and a red fur that flowed like a cape on his shoulders. He raised his arm and a long golden staff appeared in his hand. There was no blade on top, only something shaped like a sun. Then he lowered it.

Suddenly Atosaki found herself in Lance's arms and situated on one of the rooftops of a house nearby.

"Lance, what…?" She didn't finish. There was a large slash on the spot where she had been standing only a few seconds ago.

"Not bad," Gene praised, "but that's not enough."

The moment he finished, Lance materialized his red spear, Gáe Bolg, to block the attack of a second, green-haired man. His strength was such that it sent Lance and his Master flying before they crashed into the asphalt.

"Hey, Rider, I was here first," complained the Lancer with white hair.

"I don't care, just following orders," he answered.

"Whatever. I'll just have to finish this before you can."

Lancer's right eye began to glow red just as Lance stood up and pushed Atosaki behind him.

"Bramasthra!" yelled Lancer as he fired a wide vermillion-tinted beam toward the pair.

Atosaki understood that she and Lance were going to die, and so soon after their reunion too; they didn't have a way to block or dodge the energy ray before it reached them. Such a powerful attack would surely reduce them to ashes. She closed her sad brown eyes, holding Lance from behind, and prepared for the impact. A second passed, and then another and the attack never reach them. She opened her eyes and saw the boy with the red jacket from before, along with a blonde girl wearing a red dress wielding a peculiar sword of the same color. Then Atosaki realized that they were encircled by fire.

"Hey, are you alright?" the boy asked without looking at her.

She could only nod at his words.

"My name is Edward Hellhound, and this is Saber."

"Praetor, you shouldn't say those things. She is a Master."

"Don't worry, she is an ally."

He turned to her and the spearman. "Isn't that right?" he added with a smile.

"Y-yes! My name's Atosaki. Atosaki Kurokawa."

Edward looked to the blue-haired enemy and his Servant while Saber smiled at the green-haired Servant with excitement.

"I don't know who you are, but I will show you hell. Black Seal 30% unleashed!"

Atosaki saw how his left arm was suddenly covered by flames, and when they died down it had turned into a menacing red claw. The only thing she knew was that the War had begun.

Master Remaining: 42

Servants Remaining: 42

Okay, first chapter is done. I needed to change the background of some characters so they could all exist in the same world. Leo and the characters from Extra are in this world as survivors of Gaia's Purge, which proves what Zelretch had thought without the six Factions there is no clear winner again and everything goes to hell. Well, please review. I welcome bad and good opinions.

Just want to say that I think spiderrock is doing an outstanding job so far. This is such a great idea in my opinion, and I'm excited to see how this will all unfold. I hope you enjoyed this chapter so far. It was a joy for me to work on. –Editor


	3. Chapter 2 Guardians

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 2: Guardians

Two hours ago:

After hearing the words of the voice and realizing the fact he had to beat forty-one other Masters, Kiritsugu found himself in a luxurious room that reminded him of one of many in which he had lived along with his wife and daughter for the last ten years. He began to inspect the room; all his equipment was there, even his Contender. Normally he would have wondered how this could be possible, but right now he didn't care.

Inscribed on the floor of the room was a magic circle and at its edge was a relic the elders of the Einzberns had sought for many months: Avalon. He inspected the circle, making sure everything was in order, and proceeded to summon his Servant. Black light filled the room, and when it faded the figure he saw inside the circle was not what he expected. Before him stood a shadowy-armored swordsman with blond hair and a black visor covering his face. He wielded a dark sword decorated with red runes on the blade, so Kiritsugu concluded he was a Saber.

"Are you my Servant?"

The Servant just nodded.

He decided that asking anything else would be pointless so told him to take on spirit form. Kiritsugu then walked to the bed where his equipment lay, not bothering to put up his guard as he believed that if the Servant wanted to kill his Master, he would've already done it.

After placing his Contender within the inner pocket of his coat and taking his Calico M960 in hand, Kiritsugu decided to make his next move and check the place out. He exited the room and with each step saw how much it really resembled the Einzbern castle. He arrived at a living room and found that five of the other participants were already there.

"I understand we need to create a temporary alliance between the members of our group, but I think that magi of our level shouldn't associate with trash like them Tohsaka." Kayneth said while looking at Waver and Kirei.

Kiritsugu knew that magi were stupid and prideful, but even he was surprised by the words coming from the heir of the Archibald family. While Kayneth discussed something with Tokiomi, Kirei and Waver, Kariya just sat in one of the chairs while observing Tokiomi alone.

"Kayneth-dono, I can't speak for the abilities of that boy," said Tokiomi while pointing at Waver, "but for three years Kirei-kun had been my apprentice, and I can say he'd make a very valuable asset to our cause."

Kirei bowed in front of Kayneth at these words, though he didn't like the blond man. Kayneth was obviously proud and arrogant, and he could tell he had little prior battle experience. Moreover, he deduced that the man before him saw only the value in magical powers of the present and not the rest of his abilities. In a real fight there were many factors to take into account, and the one considered strongest did not always win. Of course, Kirei would not say this to Kayneth.

"…I don't see anything special about him, Tohsaka." Kirei stood and took out his Black Keys. "Would you like a demonstration?"

"Oh? You think you can last even a second against me?" Kayneth answered, amused, removing a little glass vial from his pocket.

Tokiomi didn't bother to stop them, sure that if any of them were truly endangered their Servants would appear. He and Waver began backing away to give the priest and the magus some space. Before anything happened the sound of a gun going off was heard by all present.

They turned to see the Magus Killer with his Calico pointed at the roof. Kiritsugu had no real reason to stop them, but he did so due to a very basic instinct that some magi forgot in their illusions of invincibility: survival. There were forty-two pairs total, and though he wasn't fond of the idea, he something to fight for. If he was going to make his wish, he would need the others in that room. They were merely tools he'd utilize to fight until only his faction remained. Then and only then would they be free to fight amongst themselves. He would use them and then kill them, all to achieve his goal, all to save the world.

"Stop this nonsense!" he ordered.

"The magus killer," sneered Kayneth while glaring at him.

"Emiya Kiritsugu," said Kirei.

"Tokiomi is right," he replied. "We need to make an alliance until the other five factions are defeated."

"Wise words, Magus Killer. No wonder my lord believed you to be the leader of this group."

Those there swiveled around to see a man with long silver hair and eyes, wearing a butler's uniform.

"I am Aldebaran. I was selected by Gaia to supervise the Faction of Zero."

None dared say a word. They didn't sense anything special about the butler, but their instincts told them otherwise. A single wrong move could mean death. Still, Kayneth took his chances.

"Fervor Mio Sanguis!" he yelled as ten liters of mercury came forth from the vial in his gloved hand.

The mercury transformed into a spiked ball and locked onto the silver-headed man. However, before the Mystic Code could be used, Kayneth was smashed into the floor by what seemed like a strange force. He tried to use his magic, but it was useless. Waver understood almost immediately.

"The… power of … gravity?"

"Yes. I forgot to tell you I'm the third strongest Counter Guardian at Gaia's service." Aldebaran answered with a grin.

* * *

Even in the city's center, the clash of weapons could be heard from far away. Atosaki saw her Servant now engaging the white-haired spearman who, after firing off that red energy beam, decided to fight without using his weapon. Edward had ordered Saber to fight against the green-haired Servant while he continued to look at Gene with narrowed crimson eyes.

"How do you find her?" he asked at the magus.

Gene smile grew so wide that he looked like a madman. He raised his hand and a spiraling air vortex began to form.

"Tempête," he announced as it shot out.

At this Edward called forth his blade into his hand and concentrated flames on the edge. He swung it before the tornado could land.

"Crimson Inferno!"

The clash between fire and wind made the Lancers stop for a second and look at the Masters, Lance out of concern for Atosaki and Lancer of Red because he couldn't help but feel interested by the boy's flames. He felt something evil emanating from them, but the boy seemed able to maintain control. Seconds passed and Gáe Bolg smashed against the golden forearm of his armor.

On the roof a nearby house, Saber and Rider continued their fight.

"Your Master seems strong," Rider said as he swung his golden spear at Saber's exposed neck.

"Of course! Only someone like him is worthy of being my Master!" she answered as she parried the attack with her large sword.

Rider just smiled at her words while thrusting his weapon at her chest, only for Saber to stop the spearhead a few inches away. He recognized that the girl before him was strong and began to think that the air of superiority she exuded wasn't a bluff, unlike many people he had met in life.

"Please don't insult me, Rider!" Saber yelled.

"What do you mean?" he asked while pulling back his spear.

"Fight me seriously. If you don't, then it is not only an insult towards me but also my Praetor, and that is something I would never forgive," she said with a scowl.

The Rider laughed and held his spear at the ready.

"I apologize for that, then. Here I come!" he said as he dashed at her.

* * *

Emiya Shirou found himself lying on the floor after having been hit by some redheaded man. The mansion surrounding him somewhat resembled both the Tohsaka's and the Matou's. He started searching for Rin because he didn't know how to summon a Servant. To partake in this War he'd need one, and he couldn't let it be weak because of a bad summon. Upon locating his friends, he found that neither she nor Sakura had summoned theirs yet, so Rin agreed to help him. Thus, a ritual began and ended, and the moment he saw his Servant, he couldn't be happier as he was able to meet her once again.

"Tell me, are you—" Saber wasn't allowed to finish. Shirou hugged her and she allowed herself to smile at their reunion.

While Shirou explained to Saber the situation, Rin helped Sakura with her summon.

"Saber, would you be my sword once again?"

"Of course, Shirou. I swore I would be your blade and shield."

Shirou smiled at her words and told her to follow him, noticing it was night already. They needed to move fast to avoid innocents getting involved. He ran out of the room and toward the entrance of the house, assuming it would be built like Rin's. His assumption proved right, but near the entrance he came across a man with red hair wearing scarlet and gold full-body armor with the crest of a scorpion on his chest and its stinger crossing his left shoulder.

"Sorry, Emiya Shirou. I need to talk with you and the rest of your group," he spoke.

"I don't have time to listen to you!" he yelled as he traced the twin swords Kanshou and Bakuya.

"Then I can't let you pass," said the man as a red dagger appeared in the air and flew at Shirou's shoulder.

It happened so fast that Saber's Master hit the floor before she even had time to react.

"Shirou!" the female knight cried while looking at her wounded master, then moving at amazing speed to reach the armored man. She swung her invisible sword, but it didn't reach him. Two more daggers showed up over his head and blocked Excalibur's attack.

"What?!"

The knight looked at Saber with cold eyes before pushing her back with the daggers. "Calm down, Servant, I only defended against your Master's attack."

Saber didn't believe him and readied herself to strike again when she was stopped by a voice she recognized well.

"Don't do it, Saber. Neither you nor the idiot are a match for him."

She turned to see a red-cloaked Servant along with his Master standing behind them. "Archer."

Archer walked past her and stood before the man in armor.

"Long time no see, Hero-san," said the knight.

"Antares!" Archer seemed slightly taken aback. "What in the world could you be doing here?!"

"You should know never to yell at me, Hero-san."

"Archer, who is that guy?" Rin asked. "Is he a Servant?"

"He is, but at the same time he isn't."

"I am Antares, leader of the Counter Guardians. I was assigned by Gaia to supervise you, the Blue Faction."

"I see. Since this War has so many Masters, the World had some of her dogs watch over us magi so we don't cause too much trouble," Rin concluded as she helped Shirou stand.

"Rin don't talk like that. Antares is the strongest of the Counter Guardians. No one has been able to match him his whole life."

"How do you know that, Archer?"

"Because Hero-san is also a dog of Gaia, little miss," said Antares.

Rin looked at Archer with eyes wide open while he glared at the armored knight.

* * *

Edward was beginning to lose count of how many times his flames had clashed against Gene's cyclones. He could have used more power, but he was afraid of destroying the surrounding houses. Even though he hadn't seen a single person since being transported into the city, he felt a need to be careful. Normally he could control his flames to the point of using them without causing collateral damage, but because the enemy used wind magic his flame moved erratically with the air currents.

"Okay, enough of this!" declared Edward.

Gene smirked, assuming those words meant the boy before him was losing his composure. There was no greater fallacy of thought than that. Gene saw a towering spectral arm appear over Edward's head, holding a sword that looked like the one he'd been fighting the entire time.

"Now take this!" he yelled as he lowered it.

Gene attempted to stop it with his tornados, but to no avail. The gigantic sword sliced cleanly through them. He barely managed to move fast enough to dodge the blade, still thrown off by the pressure of the slash.

Lancer of Red watched this while dodging another thrust from Lance mid-air. He landed and took a good look at him.

"I admit that you are strong, but it seems my Master needs my help, so I guess I need to finish this."

In that moment Lancer disappeared and Lance's head snapped back with a kick to the chin before being thrown skyward. He looked down and saw the white-haired Servant beneath him.

"Dammit," he would say if he had the ability to speak.

The spearman was sent hurtling through the atmosphere, and when he finally lost some momentum the other Lancer was in front of him with spear at the ready. From the ground Atosaki wasn't able to see the blade of the golden spear for it was black as night, but Lance could and readied his weapon to block Karna's incoming attack.

He swung at Lance with both hands. The moment both spears collided he felt a strange resistance, as if there was a barrier in between them, still it was enough to throw Lance down into the streets.

"Lance!" Atosaki screamed, pained by seeing this.

"Atosaki-san, go after him," said Edward. "I'll cover you."

Another crash sounded nearby.

"Saber!" It was his turn to worry.

"Hey, you told me to fight seriously," Rider said. "Is that all you got?"

"Bastard! It was just a lucky shot." Saber yelled while rising from the crater she'd made.

"Saber, calm down!"

Edward made the mistake of taking his eyes away from the blue magus who had been lying on the ground.

Gene used the opportunity to create a tornado around his legs, giving him the thrust of a high-powered rocket. In less than a second he was in between Edward and Atosaki. Before the latter could react, he launched a kick at her face.

She managed to throw one arm up and mumbled a spell while drawing with her free hand's forefinger the letter "M", the word "Ehwaz" spoken before his foot made impact. There was enough force in the strike to send her crashing through the upper window of a two-level house across the street.

"You bastard!" Edward yelled as he grabbed the man with his ethereal hand. "Be purged by fire… Crimson Gauntlet!"

He heard how loud the man howled when he was engulfed by the flames, careful enough that he wouldn't kill him by accident. He released Gene when he lost consciousness. The shock and pain of being burned alive had him knocked out cold. The worst he had were first degree burns covering his body, along with some grade II burns around his arms.

"Atosaki-san, you alright?!" Edward shouted.

"Y-yes… It sounds bad out there," said her voice from past the rubble. "Just give me a second…"

He sighed in relief, but before he could move he whipped around with his sword in order to block Rider's spear.

"Well, I guess you are stronger than Saber."

Edward could feel the ground under him cracking due to the weight of the blow. It was only a matter of time before his blade faltered and the spearhead impaled him.

"Black…" He didn't finish. Rider's knee connected with his cheekbone, sending him reeling back to the wall of a house. He saw Saber land in front of him with a face full of rage.

"Rider! No one threatens my Praetor."

Meanwhile, Atosaki rose unsteadily and inspected the room where she'd been thrown. It had painted blue walls with white carpeting, a matching closet and a queen-size bed. She moved closer and what she saw left her speechless. There were two people, a young man and woman, sleeping soundly on the mattress, but it was no regular slumber. After all that noise and destruction they should have woken up. However, they remained asleep. Wrong… They had been forced to sleep. She tried to understand how this happened and then realized that carelessness could mean death for these people. She stumbled over to the broken window.

"Edward-san!" she called from above.

The crimson-eyed boy created a small red claw and used it as a hook to climb up while Saber continued the fight in his stead.

"What's wrong? The Master is down, but neither your Servant nor mine can win against those two."

"Look…"

He saw what she had found, and his rage suddenly became palpable.

"Then this was the feeling I had," he said as he clenched his fists.

"Who did this?"

"Most likely Gaia."

"But why?!"

He didn't want to answer, feeling only repulsion at the idea.

"So we could fight without distraction. To make us believe that the city was empty."

He grabbed her by the waist and jumped out of the house, ready to make an escape to minimize collateral damage.

"Saber, we are leaving!"

The red swordswoman nodded, but the moment she did, Rider raced past her and aimed his spear at the two Masters. While holding Atosaki, Edward couldn't fully fight, so he needed to at least block the initial attack.

"Tessu no kabe, sōgyō no tō, shakutetsu keikei, tanzen toshite tsuini oto nashi."

He heard someone reciting what he thought was a spell and decided to gamble on it. He summoned his spectral hand and used it to stop the spear for a couple seconds, and that was enough.

"Gochūtekkan!" a voice yelled.

Five pillars of steel fell from the sky and dropped around Rider like a cage.

Lancer of Red was distracted watching this, and that gave Lance an opening. He charged him and aimed his spear tip at the opposing Lancer's left eye. Still, Lancer managed to dodge him but acquired a small gash on the right side of his face.

That wasn't all. While trying to get around Lance, he failed to notice the petite Saber in back who swung her blade at his left side. Lancer was sent flying toward the entrance of a house. He got up almost instantly and saw the red swordswoman and the blue spearman pointing their weapons at him. He looked at where his Master lay and decided that this was enough for the night. He moved faster than the eye could see, grabbing his Master before fleeing the scene. Neither of the Servants had enough energy to follow him.

Atosaki looked on from overhead, amazed, at the steel pillars restraining Rider.

"Did you do that?" Atosaki asked Edward.

"No, he did it," he said with a smile while pointing at a young man dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, a blue vest and denims, gripping a Japanese katana with his left hand. Behind him was a girl whose pink hair was styled in short twin tails. She had a pair of fox ears and a fluffy tail and wore a blue, traditional ero-kimono and matching geta, plus a necklace with a mirror for a pendant to finish it all off.

Edward reached the ground and let Atosaki go.

"Hey there," he said to the newcomer.

"Hello. I guess you don't know me. I'm Yagami Kousuke, and this is Caster," he said, pointing at the girl behind him.

"I'm Edward, Edward Hellhound, and she's Atosaki Kurokawa. I'm the Master of Saber and her Servant is a Lancer."

"Thank you for your help, Kousuke-san," said Atosaki with a courteous smile.

"You're very welcome."

"So how long can this keep him at bay?" Edward asked.

"Well, Caster is helping me reinforce the bakudo, but I don't think it will last long since it's not made to hold Servants."

"I was afraid you would say that. Atosaki, go take care of Lancer." He then turned to Kousuke. "Kousuke, Caster, can either of you create a barrier so our attacks don't destroy any of the houses?"

Kousuke looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Caster can, but why? I thought the city was empty."

Edward told him he was wrong and reported what Atosaki had discovered. To say Kousuke was shocked would be an understatement, but before he could answer the five pillars shattered, and in front of them stood a raging Rider. Kousuke drew his sword as the other Servants got ready to fight. The Rider just grinned in anticipation, thinking this would be fun.

"Alright play time is over, weaklings, now I'm gonna be serious!"

Saber and Lance moved to their Masters so they wouldn't get harmed. There were two reasons Rider didn't retreat like Lancer: first because he was a man who enjoyed fighting and the other was that he didn't feel he'd lose. He took a step forward. All three Servants were ready and on guard. They could feel he was no normal Rider, rather, some sort of beast. Even after fighting Saber so long he didn't have a single wound and seemed not at all tired. He was about to charge when he felt something that forced him back.

"A Command Spell?" His anger mounted, but he couldn't resist. "You are all lucky my Master is a coward!"

With that said, the green-haired Servant disappeared. Edward sighed and took a seat on the blacktop. He looked at Atosaki and Lance, and then he observed Saber. All of them looked tired.

"Atosaki-san, how are you doing? Sorry I asked a little late."

"Don't worry about before. I protected myself with the Ehwaz rune. My healing took care of the rest."

"Ehwaz rune?" asked both Edward and Kousuke.

"Uh-huh, it reinforces objects. In this case, I used it on my dress so I could handle the kick and the impact. Lance taught me how to use it. Right, Lance?" His Master smiled as he put an arm around her small shoulders.

"Goshujin-sama," said Caster to Kousuke after a moment, "we need to get going."

"Eh? Wait, alone? We should stick together," Atosaki said.

"I know… but I feel another presence coming here."

"Calm down, it's an ally; and she has already arrived."

They all heard a rumble of thunder and turned up their faces as a man wearing silver and black armor with blond hair, a pair of brown leather gloves and a hammer in his right hand.

Mere moments afterwards and a woman from their earlier gathering literally walked out of his shadow. Edward and Atosaki had made Saber and Lance turn into spirit form so they rest for a while the only servant who remained materialized was Caster.

The three masters looked at the woman expectantly.

"Greetings, I am Kirsche von Einzbern." She said with a small but formal bow that might be expected from a noblewoman.

"You were with us in that white room." Kousuke pointed out.

"Yes I was brought there by the old man." She said coolly. "Well it's not like I've anything better to do anyway and this should prove interesting at the least."

"Excuse me, I'm wondering, how did you find us?" Atosaki asked.

"With this," Edward answered for her as he made a few small orange globes appear around him.

"Fire Familiars! I haven't seen them in a long time," said Caster.

"I call them Ghost Fire. Before we were transported from that room, I put one near all of us, just in case."

"Yes," said Kousuke. "It helped me find you two."

"And I really appreciate the help." Edward smiled at him then turned to Kirsche "Did you enjoy the show?"

"I do not know what you are talking about," she said, addressing him with a suspicious smile. "I just got here guided by your little familiar, Hellhound."

"Yeah, right. You know I can feel them wherever they are, right?"

"…I see."

He just sighed and stood up.

"So what's the plan?" Atosaki asked.

"We could create an alliance between us for now," Kousuke said while putting his sword back in its sheath.

"That's not a bad plan," commented Kirsche.

"Or we could get some answers," Edward said.

"What do you mean?" asked the other young man.

"I said I put my Ghost Fire on everyone that was present in that room. That includes the old guy, and I can still feel the one near him."

The other three looked at him, very surprised.

"So? Shall we go?"

Two of the others nodded immediately, but Kirsche was silent. "If Gaea is behind this getting answers might prove difficult." She pointed out. "If Counter-Guardians try to stop us, then I want all of you to get back."

The others immediately raised eyebrows and Caster asked "Are you suggesting that you can fight a Counter-Guardian?"

Kirsche just smiled. "Magi bend the rules of the world to make miracles happen. Counter-Guardians enforce those rules…but me…depending on what I want the world just gets out of the way. It's a last resort of course, but still…"

"In that case if Counter-Guardians stand against us we'll leave them to you." Caster said, and Kirsche nodded.

"That would be wise." She agreed.

* * *

Standing within the nave of a church was a white-haired priest. Seated behind him were four people to whom he paid little attention, since he had everything he needed. He looked at the four Command Seals beside his own.

A voice made him turn around. "Rider won't be happy that you messed with his fun."

"He will understand, I hope. I am also very intrigued by how much help you have given me."

He looked at the woman who had stolen him from his thoughts. She was a pale-skinned blonde wearing a flowing white dress.

"I simply want to make sure my faction wins. On top of that, I want this War to be interesting."

"I understand, Supervisor of the Red Faction, Counter Guardian Pleiades," Kotomine Shirou said with a smirk.

* * *

In order to answer a question The place of the battle shall be reveal it in the next chapters.

What do you think about the Counter Guardians and their names. Any suggestion for the Surpervision for the Faction of OC.

still Review and help me make this story better.


	4. Chapter 3 Reunion

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

In the middle of the city, a blond boy with pale skin and blue eyes and a small scar under the left one fought for his life. His name was Leo Wells, and he had never been what one would call normal. Many times during his life he found himself in weird situations, and being attacked by a pink-haired girl wearing a wedding dress and electrodes on her head stood somewhere in the middle of them. To make matters even worse, she wielded a heavy club with a rounded metal head, which he identified as a historical mace.

She was fast, and the boy could barely dodge because of her sloppy, almost drunken movements. He'd found himself at the top of a building along with his Servant a few hours ago. Since the door to the lower floor was closed, he broke it down and went outside from there. He walked for a while until he arrived at a sprawling plaza. His Servant remained silent during their travel, and then he spotted a plain-looking boy who had a brown head of hair, glasses, a dignified white jacket and black pants with matching shoes. The boy looked at him, surprised.

"So there was another one." He sighed. "I'm sorry about this, but... Berserker!"

Without warning the Servant appeared and swung her mace in an attempt to crush his skull. He moved a few steps to the left and managed to avoid the impact. Still, the mace's striking end landing on the floor created a huge shockwave that sent him scrabbling. The girl continued to assail him with attacks, powerful and fast, but he was faster, even if only by a narrow margin. Regardless, at this rate he knew that it wouldn't take long until he found himself flattened beneath her weapon.

Then it happened, he reacted a little too late, and that meant death. Though he had restorative capabilities compared to high speed regeneration, if his head was destroyed he would be unable to recover. Luckily, the mace didn't reach him. Somehow the girl was knocked back and fell right beside the boy wearing glasses.

Leo saw it all. In less than a second his Servant had appeared behind the girl and kicked her using every bit of strength he had.

"And here I thought you would just stand there," he said with a smirk.

"His Servant?" the bespectacled youth questioned as he looked at the man wearing brown-green armor with short, chestnut hair smirk back at his master.

Caules had believed the boy before him didn't have a Servant, as he fought his by himself. That was obviously wrong. He helped Berserker stand while looking at what seemed to be an Archer.

"Well, we managed to trick them, and after that kick I'm pretty sure I can take her, Leo," the Servant said while offering to help his Master stand. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Archer."

Leo took his hand and got up, not completely trustful of the man before him. However, he appreciated that he didn't ask permission all the time and didn't act as if his Master was his owner. Still, he missed his old Servant.

"Telemachus," the Servant said in a whisper as an old bow appeared in his right hand.

Archer raised it, aiming at the pair before he was stopped by an explosion in one of the nearby buildings. He saw a young man with a white shirt and a dark tie and pants coming from the smoking wreckage. By his side was a tall, shirtless man wearing an ornate cloth around his waist. He held a golden blade with a curved edge.

Leo remembered the words the boy had said: "So there was another one."

* * *

Elsewhere, the green-haired Servant arrived at the church and wasn't surprised when he found Lancer of Red and his Master inside. Gene was now covered in bandages, cursing like crazy about how he would get the boy wearing the red jacket and that girl in the summer dress, and those two never should have dared do this to him. Seeing him like that almost made Rider forget that he needed to kill his Master for making him retreat.

He hated people like that. The king he had been forced to serve was the same way. He never respected any of his companions and treated them like tools. He had made them fight and die all so he could get his wife back, and even after that he never showed the slightest hint of respect toward any of his generals.

But he didn't see his Master in the room, he only saw the priest with white hair treating the wounds of the blue-haired magus.

"Where is he?" he asked the priest.

"In the back, but it's pointless to talk to him."

"Why?" he said while glaring at the priest.

"Because he surrendered his Command Seals to me," Shirou said with a pleasant expression.

Rider had his spear ready to kill the man before him, but he needed him to answer just one question.

"Who made me retreat?" he asked, though it sounded more like a demand than a question.

"That would be me," the priest answered, still smiling.

Rider's eyes widened and then suddenly his spear was a few centimeters away from Shirou's face, yet he was stopped by a black-gloved hand. At his left side he saw a woman with long blond hair holding his arm.

"Let me go, Pleiades!" he roared.

The woman didn't answer, but a golden aura began to surround her, and Rider felt that she wasn't a normal Counter Guardian. The reason was that, just by being in her presence, he felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time: fear. It didn't make sense for a Heroic Spirit like him who had entered the Throne of Heroes. In his eyes the Counter Guardians were weaklings who couldn't do anything on their own, so they ended up begging the world for a miracle. But this woman was nothing like that. The atmosphere emanating from her made her presence much like that of another Heroic Spirit. Not only that, her power was such that Lancer and his Master also couldn't move. The only one who seemed not to notice was Shirou.

"Calm down, Pleiades, I'm sure Rider understands that I did it to avoid the risk of losing him in battle." He turned to the green-haired servant. "Right, Rider?" He kept that smile which disgusted Rider to no end.

Still the Servant nodded. Pleiades let go of him and disappeared in a flash of light. Seconds later Gene, who had all his wounds treated, bid goodnight and went to his room inside the church along with Lancer and Rider, not wanting to be alone with the priest around, though he had also disappeared.

"You really need to stop smiling. It creeps me out, Master," a voice spoke.

"Sorry, an old habit, Assassin," he said as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. He moved his head and saw another woman with long black hair, golden eyes, and marble-white skin. His smile wore off as he turned serious.

"I don't trust her," she said.

"Jealous?" he asked, only to earn a glare from his Servant.

"You know what I mean. She isn't just one of Gaia's dogs; she is special."

"I know, but I still need her to realize my plans."

"If you say so."

"She is the one getting the materials for the construction of your Noble Phantasm."

"I know."

"By the way, how long will it take you to finish?"

"Three days, Master."

He raised his hand and touched her hair. She was the only one he had told about his plans, his real name, and his wish to save humanity from itself. To his surprise she had agreed to help him. However, he didn't touch her hair as a sign of affection. It was merely a game both of them played with each other to obtain a goal, and the nature of those goals didn't matter in their eyes. As she continued to hug him and he continued to caress her hair, he understood how similar they really were.

* * *

Back in the city, Leo watched the man with the white shirt and his Servant breathing heavy as he saw yet another man with milky hair and silver armor decorated by a green rune on the chest plate holding a large sword slung over his left shoulder. He recognized the man with the white shirt, as he had been with him in that room when the old man had asked them to fight in this war. He walked up to him while Archer still aimed at Caules and Berserker with his bow. After getting closer, Leo saw he had a lacerated arm and blood dripping from his forehead. His Servant wasn't in better shape and seemed focused on the identity of that silver swordsman.

The name of the man with the dress shirt and black tie was Breno da Rocha, the Master of Rider of the sixth Faction. He had found the silver Servant and Rider attacked, believing him to be easy prey, but no matter where he struck, the swordsman didn't suffer any damage. He didn't even try to dodge, and Rider couldn't understand. He himself was not weak by any means, yet the expression reflected in the face of the man said otherwise. There was only thing written there: disappointment.

Then the swordsman counterattacked. One swipe was all it took to drive them into a corner. But it hadn't been just any swing of the sword, the pressure and the slash behind it was enough to create an explosion inside that building.

"You damn peon, you dare to harm a king?!" Rider hissed.

"I only have one king and that is not you," the swordsman answered.

Angered by his words, Rider rushed at him, but to no avail, since he was intercepted by Berserker of Black and barely able to block her mace with his sword. He lurched back a few meters.

"Saber, be careful! If you destroy anything else you could make other Masters notice we are here," Caules warned.

"My apologies. I will be more careful," Saber answered as he jumped from the building and landed next to Berserker.

Breno hadn't noticed there was another Master-Servant pair, the young man with blond hair and his Archer. The two Servants charged at him but were stopped by a pair of axes which flew their way. Each managed to repel the projectiles, though the attack stalled them badly.

He turned and recognized the young man who had been in the same room as him.

"You. What's your name?" Breno asked.

"It's Leo. You?"

"Breno da Rocha."

They didn't say more as they turned to face the two Servants coming at them.

"Archer will help Rider against that one, and we will take care of Berserker."

His Servant looked at him oddly. He had just said something pretty crazy, but still he decided to believe in the boy. The enemy rushed at Rider, who was barely able to stop the blade, and swung his bow as if it were a club at Saber's face. He didn't move, and the moment it hit him he retreated a few steps but without a trace of the blow.

"Are you mad that we can't beat a Servant?" Breno asked as Leo pushed him away so they wouldn't be crushed by Berserker.

"We don't have any other choice. If your Servant fights one-on-one against Saber, he would lose."

Breno knew he was right, but what they were doing was still insane. He looked at the Servant coming at him and even thought it seemed crazy he began to think about Berserker's identity. He had only one way to be sure of it.

His hands were wrapped by flames and before Berserker could reach him he shot them out. The fire wasn't strong enough to harm Berserker, but there was a certain fear of it she had been born with, so by pure instinct she leapt back. Leo saw this and lunged at her. Even while guarding herself with her mace, the strength behind Leo's fist had been enough to send her flying. She was able to stand up as if nothing happened, but Leo wondered why she had so violently avoided the flames.

"So I was right," Breno said at last, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I know the identity of this Berserker."

"What? Really?"

"It sounds weird, but I think she's the legendary monster Frankenstein."

Leo's eyes widened. He didn't expect this at all. The stories described Frankenstein as a monster that was ugly beyond comparison, but the Servant before him was a very beautiful girl.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I wish. Maybe those rumors about Victor Frankenstein being crazy were true after all."

When those words left Breno's mouth and reached Berserker, she lost control. She dashed at them, but before she got too close she was stopped by the sound of a gun being fired and the scream of pain of a voice she recognized very well.

* * *

At the same time Edward and the rest were walking through the city while searching for a way they could better navigate around. Kirsche went in front so in case they found a Counter Guardian she could face him. Edward and Kousuke walked behind her, and Atosaki trailed behind them all. Their Servants traveled in spirit form. After the fight, Edward had turned his arm back to normal, his eyes as well, but he hated that each time he morphed his arm, it destroyed the left sleeve of his jacket.

He felt the old man on the other side of the city and walking there wasn't an option, but he sensed something else. Another three of his ghost fires were at the halfway point.

"Guys, I think I found the other ones," he said, stopping short.

The other three stopped too and looked at him, a little surprised by the suddenness.

"Those people who were inside that white room with us, right?" Atosaki asked.

"Yeah, let me focus a little."

He closed his eyes and saw two of them. They were fighting against a pair of Servants, though he couldn't find the third one. He opened his eyes and looked at the others.

"They're in trouble. There's a fight against some Servants, and I think they're losing." He said.

"So?" Kirsche asked.

"Kirsche-san, we need to help them!" said Atosaki.

"Why? Even if they were in that room with us, they are Masters we will need to fight eventually. What's the point of saving them now?" she said coldly.

"Because they are Masters like us." Edward said.

Kirsche wanted to speak but was interrupted by Kousuke.

"There are thirty-five Masters besides us, so we need all the help we can get. If in the end we have to fight between us, let it be in an honorable way."

"Do as you please," she huffed.

"Then we'd better hurry." Edward said as he stuck his hand inside his right pocket.

"How do we reach them in time?" Atosaki asked.

Edward didn't answer, but he took a red jewel and black one from his pocket. The crystals were suddenly surrounded by crimson and ebony flames. He threw them into the air and from them a white lion and silver wolf came forth and landed in front of the Masters.

"Let me introduce you my little friends, Kyrph and Cerberus."

Atosaki had a gleam in her eyes as walked toward the silver wolf and began to pat him on the head.

"He is so cute!"

Edward and Kousuke laughed awkwardly. The former noted that Atosaki's hands were shaking. He didn't need to wonder about the reason since the air was so brisk. Before she could notice, he had put his red jacket around her shoulders.

"Sorry, I know this is missing a sleeve, but it should help with the cold."

"Thanks," she managed to say.

Edward just waved his hand, but he could feel Lance glaring at him even while in spirit form, and the worst was that Saber wasn't happy about it.

"Why?" she asked, pointing at the jacket.

"I wanted to be nice?"

"You sure that's the reason?"

"I thought you liked it when I was kind."

"Yes, but it feels weird when that kindness isnt directed only at me!"

"Well excuse me, princess! You're quite the tyrant."

Kousuke, who had been watching all this unfold, could barely contain his laughter. Even though he couldn't see it, he could hear it in Edward's voice, and he pretty much understood the situation.

In the end, as each beast could carry two people, they paired off: Edward and Kirsche on Kyrph, the white lion, while Kousuke and Atosaki rode on Cerberus, the silver wolf. In a matter of seconds, red and black flames erupted around the beasts' paws as they rose to the sky and flew toward the other three Masters.

Edward was still talking with Saber and Kirsche rolled her eyes at the inane chatter. But there was another thing that was on her mind, the boy in front of her had been kicked by a Servant, she had seen it all just —she saw it all, just like he implied—but he was fine. His neck should have been broken, but there wasn't even a sign of damage. Also, she knew that he hadn't used all his power and she felt something very familiar coming from his flames. Something evil.

"Hellhound, what are you?" she thought.

* * *

Berserker turned to where her Master was, finding him lying on the ground and a young man with a black coat and a gun in hand looming over to him. Berserker's eyes rounded when she saw him like that, and no one had expected what she did next.

At the same time the gun went off, Saber stopped attacking for a second, which both Rider and Archer thanked since even in the first few minutes of battle they seemed close to defeat. Now they had a fighting chance.

"Hear me, my people!" Rider yelled. "Bring me my horses and chariot, so that I may turn this foul man into a blood stain on the sands of Kadesh!"

The swordsman was blinded by shining light and struck hard enough by a horse-drawn golden chariot to be sent soaring. Saber now felt pain for the first time in a long while. While in mid-air he was able to recognize the two-wheeled vehicle.

"The Chariot of Kadesh," he murmured before being hit by a rain of axes.

The reason Archer sent them up wasn't because he actually thought they would do damage, but because he wanted the swordsman to stay airborne and give Rider a chance to beat him. It worked, too. Saber had been so busy blocking the axes that he didn't notice Rider charging a second time, and the moment he did he was being thrown into concrete by a seal brown steed.

Rider moved out of the way a few seconds before the crash and looked from the sky to the knight buried in the floor. He was breathing heavily. This Saber was by far the strongest he had fought. Then, much to his displeasure, the knight stood up and looked at him mockingly, as if to ask, "Is that all you've got?" Rider felt angry about this, but even more so at the fact he didn't know how to beat him.

Then sounded a scream which almost made the Pharaoh lose control of his horses. Archer cupped his hands over his ears to ease the pain on his eardrums and looked at Berserker, who with her yell repelled Leo, Breno and a young man with a black coat.

After seeing her Master lying on the ground, she dashed at the boy with the black coat but was stopped by a blade-like shadow. She heard a voice behind the young man say something.

"King-Killer: The Future Death of the Monarch."

She broke wildly through the shadows as the young man jumped behind her while shooting with two 9mm pistols. Using her mace she deflected the bullets, and he landed near the other Masters, who wondered what had happened. She lifted her Master and even when she couldn't say anything she didn't like what she saw.

"Ber…serker…" she heard her Master whisper and saw that a bullet had caught him in the chest. Her white dress was now soaked with his blood.

Seeing this, she lost all control and cried out, her scream paralyzing all present except Saber. That was one of her most deadly skills, Scream of the False Life Form. None of the three Masters could move; they even had trouble breathing since the screeching had been so strong that they couldn't think or respond. Rider and Archer found themselves unable to move as well, Archer being unable to cover his ears long enough. The only one unaffected was Saber, and that was because he had been ready for it. He knew this might happen after hearing the gunfire. Caules had warned about this before they left the base of the Black Faction to check on the city. The moment she screamed he blocked up his ears and waited until it ended. Saber looked around. All the enemies would be incapacitated for a few minutes, and that would be time enough to finish them up.

Saber jumped and kicked the Pharaoh in the face with enough force to make him and his chariot crash into the floor like they had done to him a moment ago. He raised his blade, ready to decapitate Rider.

Leo tried to stand, but his body felt numb, and he could saw how Breno was fighting to remain conscious, and the third one did likewise. Berserker placed her Master down and ran at them, ready to bash in their skulls.

Kage, the boy with the black coat, didn't expect this when he moved from his hideout. He had been watching the fight and the moment he saw the two Servants leave their Masters unguarded, it seemed like the perfect chance. He planned on taking them down with the help of Assassin before escaping. Normally he would have used a rifle and killed him from afar, but after he was transported from that white room he didn't have any of his equipment. Only a few knives were still strapped to his wrists and a couple of guns remained in their holsters. He made a grievous mistake, having never expected that a Berserker could have such a power. Even Assassin, who was hiding in shadows, could not move.

The raging bride was coming at him. Of course he'd gone after her Master, since he could be considered the most dangerous of them all. However, the deadly blow never come.

"Reppa Fūjin!" he heard a voice say, and a golden tornado blew Berserker back. Before the three of them appeared an impressive man clad in a faintly glowing black bodysuit with a red spear.

On the other side, Saber was stopped by the blade of a red swordswoman with blonde hair and then hit by a hammer wrapped in lighting, sending him crashing into a building. He peeled himself from the wall and after realizing there were another four Servants, he decided it would be foolish to keep going.

"Berserker, we are leaving," he said with no emotion, but he felt something dripping from his forehead. He touched it, and on his fingertips was a vivid liquid; he was bleeding and he couldn't be happier about it. Still, the boy would die at this rate, so it was better to retreat. The bride grabbed her Master with care and the two Servants disappeared.

The three Masters turned back to see four figures standing before them.

"You guys alright?" asked one with black hair and a katana.

"A little dizzy, but yeah." Leo answered.

Deep within the confines of an obsidian-walled castle was a grand room that resembled a study. Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia sat in front of the fireplace of this domicile to which he and the members of his Faction had been transported. Drinking a cup of tea, he waited for Caules to return and find out if he had managed to locate any of the enemy bases. He didn't expect anything from the kid, but surely he couldn't be completely useless. Saber had also been sent along with him, but only because Fiore has asked him to, in case something unexpected happened. He took another sip of some tea and wondered how his granddaughter could worry so much about him. Nothing more was to be expected from a man who didn't recognize family ties and only saw others as objects.

There was a small tremor, and he knew it came from the front door. Using one of his familiars, a crystal owl waiting at the entrance, he decided to look at the cause. He observed a pair of figures and assumed they were intruders. It couldn't be helped, as they hadn't been able to put all their defenses in during the two hours that had passed since they had arrived and summoned their Servants. It was good that the supervisor of his Faction had arranged for many of his homunculi to be inside the castle. It was one of them who made his tea.

His mind returned to the intruder and he was shocked to see who was. There was a middle-aged man with short white hair wearing black-plated armor stained with blood. At his side stood someone else, their gender obscured, wearing a strange costume. He didn't care about them being dressed so ridiculously, but there was something so familiar about the Servant that the moment his own Lancer appeared, he knew what that was.

"Darnic, I will eliminate the intruder."

"Do as you please. After all, this is personal business, right?"

The Servant simply nodded and disappeared, reappearing in front of the two at the door. The intruders' eyes widened when they saw the man with white hair and skin wearing dark noble's garments. He wore an expression full of hate toward the man who had the same face as him.

"Today I take the first step toward cleaning my name, monster!" he yelled out.

* * *

The two Vlad Tepped face each other. still i dont know how an scene between Kotomine shiro and Assasin end up ther but i like the pair. Tell me about any figt you would like to see in this war. after all thats the point battle all wanted to see but never happend in the series.

Please Review thanks.


	5. Chapter 4 Twin Spears

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 4: Twin Spears

The two Lancers stood before one another, neither noticing that a black crow observed everything, the reason different for each of them. The black spearman didn't because of the man before him, an existence created by tainting his name, a monster that held neither virtues nor honor. He was the most bizarre and horrible version of Vlad III. On the other hand, the blood-coated spearman failed to notice the crow for a more simple reason: he didn't care. He only focused on the enemy. Things like strategy and information were meaningless in his eyes; he only wanted to fight.

The two sides of Vlad III were both in a way real, but at the same time they denied the existence of the other since two of a kind could never exist at once. The fact that they even met was something only possible in a war like this.

Leonardo B. Harwey observed from the room in the house he had been transported to, doing so using the familiars of his brother. He lay on his bed with his Servant standing at his side. It was a room with white walls, a few framed paintings and a desk. The lights were off, making everything appear soiled with darkness. Never did Leo expect that ordering his brother to have a familiar go after that Master would bring such results. But the only reason he recognized the woman as "her" was because her very Lancer claimed she was his wife.

He could not have anticipated them entering a conflict against another Master so fast, along with discovering the location of one of the enemy bases. The result of the battle between Servants wasn't as important as the big picture itself, as either way he would win. If the Lancer of his faction was defeated, he would gain additional knowledge of the enemy Servant, and in the case of victory, the other faction would lose a Servant.

Another presence appeared inside the room so suddenly that his Servant readied himself to fight.

"Calm down Gawain, it's only the supervisor," said Leo, turning to the Servant.

He was a tall man with short, sand-colored hair wearing silver and blue armor. At the words of his Master he lowered his blade.

"I'm sorry, Master," Gawain said while bowing before Leo.

"It is okay, Gawain," he said to him while smiling. He then looked at the door. "So what do you need, Kaus?"

In the door was a man with white hair and blue eyes wearing black armor with the crest of a dragon on his chest. He held a black helmet sculpted to resemble a dragon's head.

"Following the orders given by our lord Alaya in aiding Gaia with her wish, I have made arrangements for the members of your faction to receive all necessary tools so they can fight to their heart's content."

"Drop the act, slave of the world. Toward your kind I feel nothing but hate, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same toward all of us," Leo said as his smile dissipated.

The knight looked at him and chortled.

"I guess I can be a little honest, then. I curse Zelretch for giving you humans this opportunity. None of you magi deserve this world. To me you are all pests that need to be destroyed. Especially you, Leo," he said with a sadistic smile.

"You dare insult my king?" Gawain roared as he dashed at him with his sword in hand.

He swung at the dragon knight but was stopped by the blade of a black scythe.

"You are lucky that I'm now allowed to kill you or your Master," he said as he pushed Gawain back with ease.

He was about to charge at him again when he was stopped by Leo.

"That's enough, Gawain. You know you can't fight with full power at night."

Gawain halted, glaring at the black knight.

"Also, Kaus," continued Leo, "I'm sure you didn't just come to fight."

"As I was saying, I only came here to report," he said as he disappeared inside the shadows of the room.

Leo hated that man above all the other Counter Guardians. He had grown up hearing the tales of how they carried out the purge and how many people they killed in order to erase magic. Even if that act had helped his family take control of things, he couldn't agree with such killing. After all, he was the king of that world, and for his people to be slaughtered was unacceptable. Yes, it was a twisted reason, but a reason nonetheless.

* * *

The spears clashed with each other, with neither of the spearmen backing down even as the floor beneath them began to crack as they exchanged blows. Even with the power behind each attack, it was quite a simple battle. In a situation like this, neither tricks nor strategies would work. They were battling their reflections.

The two Servants separated from each other. One was smiling, rather enjoying the fight, while the other was completely serious and feeling repulsed by the grin of this second self. Then the silence was broken by the laugh of the bloody spearman.

"Wonderful! Really wonderful! You shall be a great present for my wife," he said while pointing at the person in the clown costume.

Lancer of Black continued to glare at him, trying his best to keep his cool, but it was hard. Was that really how people saw him—a brutal killer that didn't any values or respect for life? It was true that he had done many questionable things while alive, but that was in order to protect his kingdom, to protect his people. How could his noble intentions be distorted by others, making him a monster?

"I want to ask you something," he said with no emotion.

The other spearman just looked at him, and he used his silence to speak.

"Why do you fight?"

After hearing that question, the blood-covered spearman's smile disappeared and for a moment they shared the same serious expression, devoid of feeling, as if he had returned to his senses after being confronted by his counterpart.

"Do I need a reason?"

At these words Lancer of Black's eyes widened.

"A sinner like me can only fight and pray that at the end he can find some meaning."

Lancer of Black couldn't deny the truth in his words. He was indeed a sinner, but he still couldn't accept that his other self would choose a life without meaning."

"I guess we are different people then." He thrust his black spear into the ground. "Your words are those of a coward that couldn't stand his own actions and believed he was beyond salvation. I want to clear my name. I am a sinner, I know that very well, but I sinned so my people would live and be free. I'm not asking for forgiveness or to be worshipped. I only want the world to know the truth about me. If after all I am still treated like a monster, I shall bear those sins!"

The other Lancer smiled after hearing his words and thrust his red spear into the floor in front of him as well. Both became surrounded by a dark aura as they yelled the name of the spears they held.

"Kazikli Bey!" When called in unison, countless red and black spears began to spring forth from the ground and clash with themselves, trying to pierce the enemy as they navigated the battlefield.

* * *

In one of the rooms of the church, Gene was lying atop his bed, Karna at his side. Neither spoke but their thoughts were about a certain man: Kotomine Shirou. It was strange enough that he had such an odd relation with the supervisor, but everything became even stranger as the other Masters began to surrender their Command Spells to him. He had met a couple of them and none seemed the type who would submit so easily. According to earlier, four of the other Masters had already handed over their Command Seals, and it had only been a couple hours since the beginning of the war. But then there was still one Master missing. That was the Master of Saber.

"Where is Kairi when I he's needed?" he asked no one in particular as he tried to sleep.

Unbeknownst to Gene, Kairi was walking through the streets with a silver and crimson-clad knight walking at his side.

"Really, you sure you don't want to turn into spirit form, Saber?" he asked for the third time, just to hear the same answer.

"There is no one in this city, Master. I also like to feel the ground under my feet."

They arrived at a destroyed street.

"Well, it seems the war has already begun," Saber said after taking off the helmet, revealing a gorgeous blond young woman with emerald green eyes.

"Yep, but are you completely sure there is no one in the city, Saber?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you still sense remnants of power from those who fought here, but don't you think there is something strange?"

"No, the street is completely destroyed and so are the hous—"

She didn't finish as she realized that the houses around were still intact. The entrances of some of them were destroyed, but compared to the state of destruction in the streets it didn't make sense.

"They held back, or at least one of them did."

"Yeah, I can think up two sensible reasons for that. One is that he's a nasty guy who likes to look down on others, or he's a goody two-shoes who doesn't like killing innocents."

After hearing his words, Saber broke down the door of one of the houses and began to search for anyone inside, finding the same that Atosaki and the others had found: people being forced to sleep. She too knew that a bad move could mean their deaths.

Her Master, who had followed her, looked on and casually lit a cigarette.

"This war is going to get nasty."

Kairi was right. It was just a matter of time before the others realized this. Many Masters would exploit these people to supply mana to their Servants. It was a very good strategy, but he didn't like it. He was actually a necromancer but still had some respect for innocent people. He wouldn't try to kill them, but if they died it couldn't be helped. He finished his cigarette and began to walk away. Saber put her helmet back on and followed him.

The moment they took one step out the house, Saber felt a presence and jumped toward it. In one second she was already on a roof. She didn't see anything across the way but still swung her blade. Blood was spilled on the shingles, revealing a swarthy man wearing a white skull mask with black daggers in his hands.

"Assassin," she whispered as she jumped down to join her Master.

* * *

At the base of the Faction of Zero, Kirei stayed completely still after witnessing the death of one of his Servants. Kiritsugu, along with Tokiomi, had decided they wouldn't do anything before knowing where they were. Assassin was perfect for exploring at high speeds. One of them watched the fight between the two Vlad IIIs from afar. Another had observed the fight between a group of Masters in the plaza.

"So Kirei-kun, did you find out anything about that Saber?" asked Tokiomi, who sat near him.

Kirei stood. He was in the living room of the castle along with Tokiomi. The others had retired to their bedchambers. Aldebaran had made arrangements so that there would be some workers inside the house to take care of any menial work.

During their earlier conversation, Tokiomi told Kirei to let Assassin be seen so Saber would attack him and then reveal some information. Kirei saw nothing. He knew she was fast and strong, but he couldn't pick out many facts from that or how she finished his Servant with one blow. The fact that all his Assassins shared their minds should have given him something. With his body, the Servant was able to learn the enemy's strength and speed, and that information was passed to the others and thus to Kirei, but that wasn't the case this time.

"Sorry, Master, I couldn't find anything."

Tokiomi seemed surprised, but then it hit him.

"No, Kirei-kun, you got a very valuable piece of information."

"I beg your pardon?"

"That Servant has the power to hide all its abilities."

* * *

Sparks flew from the two clashing spears. In a battlefield full of weapons, the two warriors continued trying to kill each other. Each of them attacked and blocked the other's spear while dodging the spearheads under them. Neither dared to retreat; neither moved his eyes from the man in front of him as they went on fighting.

Another wave of black and crimson spears popped up from under them and broke each other. Kazikli Bei was a Noble Phantasm that generated spears inside a territory designated by its user. That territory range depended on the strength of the user and his mana supply. In this case, where the two territories clashed, the winner would be decided by will alone. The spearman whose concentration wavered first would lose.

They finally backed away. Each of them had cuts across their bodies. Both were standing in pools of their own blood. The two had already reached their limits and the only thing keeping them going was the need to crush the other. Lancer of Black's clothes had been reduced to shreds, almost exposing his bare chest. On the other hand, the blood-soaked spearman's armor was completely destroyed, the mantel he wore over his left shoulder long gone.

Both spearmen had been fighting for what seemed to them like hours, when in truth only thirty minutes had passed. The woman in the clown costume had been watching the fight between the two, completely silent. Even someone as twisted as her understood that no one could intervene. Saber and Berserker of Black had felt the same when they saw the two fighting each other. Normally they wouldn't intrude, but there was no other entrance and Caules was dying. They passed by quickly and Saber of Black's eyes widened when neither noticed their presence.

Both were so fixated on each other that they couldn't notice anything beyond themselves. The bloody spearman sent another wave of crimson spears at Lancer of Black. The latter didn't manage to react in time and was struck by them.

The black spearman roared in pain as the tips of the spears exited his body, soaked in what remained of his blood.

The other Lancer began to laugh as he walked toward him.

"Accept this offering, my wife!" he shouted as he stabbed through Lancer of Black's heart.

The battle was over. The bloodied spearman had won, he had defeated his other self, but while savoring his victory he didn't notice the smile which formed on the face of Lancer of Black.

"Is that all you got?" the impaled Servant asked, making the red-soaked spearman take a step back.

Lancer of Black's body turned into shadows which easily moved through the spears. His weapon was gone and in those dark shapes the only thing the other Lancer could see was a pair of golden eyes. He managed to hear him murmur three words.

"Legend of Dracula."

Before he could even move, his left arm was blow off along with his spear. The spearman fell to his knees as his Noble Phantasm began to fade. The shadows began to congregate and from them emerged the very spearman he had fought, appearing as if nothing had happened.

Something actually did happen; something seemed different. The aura around him was more evil. His clothes were transformed. He looked like a vicious count and walked toward Lancer with a fiendish smile on his face. This was his final Noble Phantasm, "Legend of Dracula," the manifestation of his distorted legend. He was no longer Vlad Tepes, rather, a vampire: a Dead Apostle.

It was ironic that he used the very myth he wanted to erase to achieve victory, but it didn't matter to him anymore. As his hands turned into claws he heard his other self yell out. The shadow around Lancer of Black began to surround him, paralyzing him. His cries were drowned by the darkness.

* * *

Back at the plaza, the seven Masters had already introduced themselves to each other. They remained still for a while as they waited for Leo and the other two to recover from Berserker of Black's scream. All the Servants had turned back to spirit form. Kirsche and Atosaki sat atop Kyrph while the others were seated on the floor.

"Hey Saber, any idea who that guy was?" Edward asked his Servant.

Saber materialized but just looked at him. He understood she was angry, even now.

"Are you really still mad about me lending my jacket?" he said, and the only answer was a pout from the red swordswoman.

Edward really missed her. She hadn't changed at all since the last time he saw her. He stood and walked over. Feeling him close, she decided to speak.

"Praetor, I don't…."

She didn't get to finish. He kissed her on the lips. The others who saw it remained silent for many different reasons.

Kage didn't care.

Atosaki was left speechless.

Kirsche found it impolite to interrupt them

Leo found it interesting and wanted to continue watching.

Kousuke was wondering what Caster would do after seeing this.

Breno just thought it was stupid.

On the other hand, Saber's mind was completely blank. At that moment, Caster materialized and kissed her Master before he could even protest. Atosaki found Lance at her side with a curious look that make her blush even more.

Edward separated from Saber with a grin on his face.

"So am I forgiven?"

"That was low, Praetor," she said, turning beet red.

"I will take that as a yes."

A clap was heard as Kirsche stood from Kyrph with a serious expression.

"Alright Hellhound, playtime is over."

"Why did you help us?" Breno asked.

"We were all in that room and we know there are a great amount of other Masters. We need to work together for now in order to survive," Kousuke said after breaking off from Caster's kiss.

"I don't need help," said Breno as he stood up.

"Breno, we just saved your life, and I think you need help," Edward said.

The only answer he got was a torrent of flames aimed at him. Edward raised his left arm. As it turned into a claw, the fire was halted and compressed into a ball before being absorbed.

"Calm down. It's the cold hard truth that there are many powerful Servants out there. One person can't do everything alone."

"Shut up!" Breno was about to unleash another surge, but he was prevented from doing so by a silver wire wrapped around his arm.

"If you want to kill each other, then do it outside." Kirsche said softly, but all the more striking given the icy calm it was spoken with.

Edward turned his arm back to normal and Breno put down his flames.

"Breno," said Edward, "I know where the old man who brought us here is."

Breno, Leo and Kage looked at him in disbelief.

"We need answers. We know that this is a war and that he needs us to save the world, but this war is different. Plus, we don't have even the slightest idea where are we."

Breno sighed and then lowered his fist.

"Lead the way."

Edward smiled at his words as the group began to walk where Zelretch was waiting for them. None of them noticed that a man clad in red and a woman with long purple hair had been watching them from afar.

"Rider, you know who that girl is, right?"

"Yes. Even though her appearance is a little different, I know it's her."

"Another Sakura," said the man.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. I will only fight for the one who summoned me."

"That's not what I meant. She is by far more powerful that the one we know. Not only that, I feel that the boy with the weird arm and the one holding a katana are both powerful enough to fight us on even ground."

Rider knew what he was talking about.

"Let's go back, Archer."

"Yeah," he said before looking back at Kirsche one last time.

"What happened to you, Sakura?" the two Servants thought before disappearing.

* * *

Saber of Black walked to the entrance. He felt the battle was over and wanted to make sure of the winner. He saw Lancer of Black standing with his clothes turn to shreds but without wounds. In front of him was the dead body of Lancer of White's Master and the remnants of the armor the Servant wore.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I have taken care of the enemy. How was everything on your way?"

"We found a couple of Masters and were about to kill them when they got help."

"So, they were weaklings?"

"I don't know. They probably didn't get to show all their powers because of Berserker's skill."

"I see," said Lancer of Black as the two retreated into the castle.

The seven arrived at a large house on a dead-end street. The door was unlocked and they entered. The moment they did, the lights flickered on and they saw a very beautiful living area. It had golden chandeliers, beautiful portraits on the walls and a floor made of marble.

"It took you all some time," said a voice they all knew very well.

They found Zelretch seated on one of the couches with a big smile on his face.

"I'm glad all of you managed to make it here. I had my doubts."

The seven walked to where the old man was sitting.

"We came here for answers," Kousuke said.

The old man's seemingly happy expression faded and he turned serious.

"Take a seat. This could take a while."

They all did as they were told and sat in the empty chairs and sofas.

"Then here's what you need to know."

* * *

Master Remaining : 37

Servants Remaining : 41

* * *

So Lancer of black won and the oc faction finally manage to find Zelrecht, there is only two more supervisors left to know. I have some issues deciding about the supervisor of the OC faction i could give them a counter guardian like the rest or Joanne d arc who is also part of the counter force or any other characther of that universer tricked by Zelrecht to supervise them, put any character you think i could put as a supervisor in coments or PM. still, Check the story of one of my friends AzarielKayras Fate stay night LoH is in spanish but is good and could see something about Leo world. Still Review!


	6. Chapter 5 Answers

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche von Einzbern

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Rocha

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 5: Answers

Inside a hotel room was a woman with green hair, white skin and brown eyes wearing a short green dress with a brown leather jacket and thigh-high black boots. She sat in a chair watching, just watching. Although the action happening before her was something she could stop, even if it could be considered sick or evil, the woman known as Reika Rikudou continued to watch a little girl kill the people in that room.

She had no idea why those people wouldn't wake up, but it was better she didn't have to hear them scream or beg for mercy. She had her doubts when entering the first room, but at the third one she began to stop caring. They were now at the tenth room of the night and she merely looked on at the bloody scene before her. The girl finished her job and walked back to her, the moonlight passing onto her from through the window. She had short white hair and silver eyes with two scars on her face, one over her left eye and the other on her right cheek, and was dressed in black attire which could hardly be considered conservative.

When Reika saw the little girl was covered in blood, she sighed and led her to the bathroom so she could clean her. After all, the owners of that room wouldn't need it anymore.

"Really, Jack, you always make such a mess," she said as she helped her take off her clothes and enter the bathtub for a shower.

"Sorry," Jack limited herself to saying.

"Alright, don't worry about it. Once you are clean, let's go back home."

Jack just smiled, focusing so much on the woman taking care of her, even though it wasn't necessary, that she didn't notice a man observing them from outside the room.

The man floating in the sky had long emerald hair and red eyes with tanned skin. He wore a blue coat with a black shirt, pants and boots. The man continued to look for a couple more seconds before landing on the roof of a nearby building.

"Sometimes I think you are going soft, Situla."

The man turned to see a crimson-clad knight standing behind him.

"Antares," he said with a smile. "I could say the same. I would have sworn you'd have killed a member or two of your Faction by now."

The crimson knight laughed.

"I won't deny I almost did, but Hero-san managed to save them."

"We haven't seen him in a long time."

"But tell me Situla, why are you helping that pair so much?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Don't get me wrong, Antares. I'm just giving them a fair chance. That woman can't provide her servant with mana, so I simply guided them in the right direction so their war won't end so fast."

"Is that so?" Antares didn't seem convinced. "Why did you provide her with another place to stay, separate from her faction?"

Situla needed to choose his words carefully since he knew that under Antares' carefree expression was a monster thirsting for blood. No wonder he and the other Counter Guardians believed him to be the strongest of them all.

"I thought it would be the best decision, as many inside her faction would try to take advantage of the fact that she isn't a real magus and steal her Servant. As I said, I am only giving them a chance."

He didn't lie but he didn't tell the truth either, as he had taken some interest in that particular pair. It was a pair that was completely different from the others. The compatibility between them was extraordinary and he wanted to see how much that girl and her Master could accomplish in the War.

Antares looked at him, any trace of his smile long gone, trying to see a lie, but he couldn't find anything. He sighed, and then patted Situla on the shoulder.

"Alright, I will trust you with this. See you later, old friend," Antares said, disappearing in a torrent of flames.

Situla turned back to the building and saw the pair leaving through the front door.

"I wish you two the best of luck… Assassin of the Black Faction." He then vanished.

* * *

Archer and Rider arrived at the house provided by Antares. Archer had managed to stop Shirou from going out until they at least knew where they were. He didn't do it for the sake of that idiot, but because if he left him to do as he pleased, he would get them all killed with his stupid need to save everyone.

He and Rider were the fastest, so they could cover more parts of the city in less time.

"Rider, don't tell anyone about her."

"Why?"

"Knowing that idiot, he would try to talk to her and probably end up dead. Also, if it comes to the point where we have to take her down, it would make things hard."

Rider thought about it for a moment before agreeing with the man clad in red.

* * *

The seven were now seated in front of Zelretch, none of them really happy since they had almost died in last hour. He had agreed to answer their questions, which were many, but they needed to ask the important ones. They didn't ask his name—he told them the moment he had brought them to that room.

"Alright, first question old man, where are we?" Leo asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Bermuda Triangle?"

"You're kidding, right?" Edward said while standing up. "There's a city in here. This can't possibly be the place in those legends."

"Are you sure?"

"He's made a fair point, Zelretch. How could people who had been lost create such a city?" Kousuke asked.

Zelretch just lowered his head. All looked at him with confusion, and then Kage realized what the old magus was trying to say.

"It can't be," he said, standing as well.

The second to notice was Kirsche.

"This is most unexpected from you, Zelretch." she said while looking at him with amusement.

Then the others began to understand, one by one, the truth about the place where they were.

"This place isn't a city, it's an arena," Breno said, looking down at the floor, disgusted by the idea.

"Gaia used the people who disappeared around here to build this city?" Atosaki asked with horror.

"No I don't think so, the world doesn't have such power otherwise Alaya wouldn't exist and Humanity would have been wiped out long." Kirsche said also standing up. "To control such a large number of people she would need something else, a magus." She pointed at Zelretch.

In that moment, before anyone could stop him, Edward ran at Zelretch. His left arm turned into his claw form, but it differed this time, the head of a silver wolf now protruded from his shoulder. He tried to punch Zelretch but was blocked by an unseen barrier.

"Edward-san!" Atosaki yelled in concern.

"Calm down, boy. I won't deny I deserve it, but I'm not so old to be beaten by a mere kid."

"You bastard!" Flames began to clash against the barrier. "Using innocent people for this! Just what do you want us to save?!"

Eventually the barrier repelled him and before he could run at him again he was stopped by silver wires tied around his body and the hands of both Leo and Kousuke.

"Don't be stupid Hellhound. He's a sorcerer. You wouldn't stand a chance." Kirsche said flatly.

"I know what you feel, trust me, but we need more answers," Kousuke said, holding his katana tightly.

"You beat me in trying to punch that old man," Leo said with a smile, but his free hand was clenched in a fist.

Edward calmed down and his arm turned back to normal. The others let him go.

"Zelretch, explain the meaning of this." The anger in his voice hadn't disappeared.

The old magus looked at him with eyes full of regret.

"She needed a stage so the destruction wouldn't cause her any more damage. It's true I used the people who disappeared and made them construct this city. The Counter Guardians gave me the materials. I must say, not all of them were innocents. Some were modern pirates, others were people running away from their crimes, but I won't deny a great amount of innocent people were used."

"Don't beat around the bush, tell us why!" Kage said as he began to lose his patience.

"Have you heard the phrase 'sacrifice a few for the good of many'?"

The moment he said those words, the noblewoman among them gave a chilling laugh.

Kischee nodded, and looked at her fellow Masters. "The logic is inhuman and brutal, but it's a valid argument."

Everyone looked at her with evident betrayal.

"It was necessary," the old magus said, looking at them before continuing. "That's why I reunited all of you; I need you to win and to protect the people in here."

"You're just making us clean up after your mess!" Breno exclaimed.

"I know, but there is no other way. I need you all to wish for the world to forget the Grail."

"I don't understand how that would even work," Kousuke intervened. "Before the Grail War, there had been a great number of Holy Grails in the world. Even before that, the Grail was part of the legend of King Arthur."

"All of that will disappear."

All present were shocked.

"With your wish, the stories of this world will change. The very myth of the Grail will disappear. The life of all the people in this War would change, the three families would never create the ritual, other Grails won't exist and even the legend of King Arthur would be modified."

* * *

Archer and Rider found Rin with Sakura in the living room.

"Rin, Rider and I are back."

"Welcome back. How did it go?" she asked.

"Well, a couple of fights have already begun. We found a couple of streets destroyed."

In that moment Shirou came along with Saber, the wound to his shoulder already healed.

"So you are back, Archer," Saber said.

Archer noticed something strange.

"Rin, where are the others?"

Rin looked at him, not understanding the reason for his question.

"Ilya decided to go to sleep. Bazett went with Caster and Kuzuki to the basement for her to summon Assassin as a gate keeper, like in the last war."

The moment she said that, Archer got a bad feeling and headed toward the basement. It was a good thing this house was almost the same as Rin's.

He didn't get far. The three of them entered the room the very moment he was about to leave. The expression on Caster's face showed both confusion and rage. She had failed and she couldn't try another summoning.

"What happened, Caster?" asked a worried Rin.

"We weren't able to summon Assassin."

"What?" Rin was shocked along with the others, and Archer understood the reason behind that bad feeling.

"I don't understand why you all are so surprised. That just means the Assassin of this faction has been already summoned," said a voice nobody had expected to hear.

"Antares!" Shirou said while tracing Kanshou and Bakuya.

The crimson knight appeared with a smirk on his face and trying to suppress his laughter when he saw the boy trying to fight him.

"Kid, because of idiots like you, others will begin to believe I like killing people."

"It's not completely false either," Archer said while glaring at him.

"Come on Hero-San, if anyone likes to kill, it's Kaus."

"Supervisor, what do you mean Assassin was already summoned?" the cloaked Servant asked.

"I mean what I said; each faction needs seven Masters and Servants. So unlike in your War, you can't be a Master, Servant of the spell," said the crimson knight.

"Then who is it?" Shirou asked.

"Really? You haven't found out? I would assume you would know of all people." Antares pointed at Sakura.

"What?" Sakura didn't understand.

"Little girl, the Master of Assassin is someone you know very well, he said as he disappeared and reappeared in front of the purple haired girl before anyone could react.

Sakura felt a shiver go down her spine and understood who the seventh Master was.

"No… No… It can't be!"

"Stop with the theater, Antares!" Rin snapped. "Tell me who summoned Assassin. There was no one else in that room!"

The knight didn't say anything, just pointed to the door behind the group. They all turned and saw a decrepit-looking old man wearing a light green kimono with a black mantle over his shoulders.

All those present looked at him and felt something evil emanating from him, except for Sakura. Sakura felt something completely different. She felt a mix of fear and obedience.

"Who are you?" Shirou asked.

"Matou Zouken," Bazett said while glaring at the old man.

"I feel honored that you know about me, child of the Fraga."

"Everyone would know about a monster like you."

"There, there, normally I wouldn't mind a fight between all of you, but it would be a pain if my faction ended up being defeated first because of this," Antares said as he stood, raising his hands, trying to calm the situation.

"You think you can order me around, Servant of the World. You are just a weak excuse for a human who needed to submit to someone."

"What did you just say?" Antares glared at the old man.

"It's the truth. You're nothing but a dog at the service of Alaya. Even if the others consider you the strongest of the Counter Guardians, without the support of the world even I can…"

Zouken didn't manage to finish. The upper half of his body had separated from the rest. It fell slowly, seeing how the remnants became ashes. As all of it scattered, a crimson scorpion stinger appeared around Antares.

The moment his body touched the ground, all those present realized what had happened and before they could even say anything, the stinger moved toward a wall and thrust itself into it. No one understood the action until a second later a man wearing a black robe and a white skull mask appeared, yelling in pain as the stinger continued piercing his stomach.

"That's Assassin?!" Rin said, not believing the Servant who could hide his presence better than anyone had been found without a problem.

Zouken looked at where his body had been ripped off. It wasn't burned or cut, only as if the stinger had disintegrated the part of his body between the upper and lower ones. He stopped thinking when he heard a crash on the other side of the room. Antares had thrown Assassin after deciding it was enough. He slowly walked to the old man and knelt so they could talk face to face.

"Don't think of me as a regular Counter Guardian, snake, I don't have anything to envy of those Heroic Spirits." He stood and began to walk away, but then he suddenly stopped and turned back. "Also, you are lucky I can't kill participants or else you would be dead. Leave this house if you want to live. You make me sick."

Antares disappeared in a whirlwind of fire. Everyone understood why he was considered the strongest, and Archer had said it would be foolish to oppose him. It wasn't power alone, the aura and the pressure that knight gave had been so great that none of them could even move, the Servants included. Only one thought was on their minds.

"That guy is a monster."

* * *

Between the seven Masters and Zelretch, no one dared to say a word. No one had expected that the old man wanted them to rewrite history.

"I still don't understand why you selected us. In the end, we'll end up killing each other since there is only one winner in this war," Breno said as he sat again.

"No, your case is different."

"How so?" the young man with the black coat asked.

"You weren't supposed to exist as a faction, so the Grail recognized the seven of you as a whole winner. If the members of your group are the only ones remaining, then the war would be over."

"Still, you're basically asking us to kill thirty-five people. Not that I'm a saint, but I don't like killing because someone told me to," Leo said, returning to his seat.

"We can't kill them! We just need to beat the Servants!" Atosaki said, opposed to the idea of killing human Masters.

"To focus only on the Servants is too dangerous. Also, Masters could make another contract with a free Servant," Kirsche said in a cold voice.

"We could cut off their arms," Edward said, surprising everyone.

"Hey, do you understand what you just said?" Kousuke asked while grabbing his shoulder.

"I know, but at least we could take their Command Seals without killing them," he said back, looking at the others. "It's not the best choice, but it's an option. That way they don't have to die."

"I can't deny you have a point, but there are too many Masters to just target their Servants," Kousuke said while pulling his hand away and taking a seat.

Edward turned to Atosaki, who looked at him with eyes full of shock and sorrow at his words.

"Atosaki-san," he said.

She didn't answer him, only turned to the old man.

"Isn't there any other way?"

"No, I'm sorry. You either kill the other Masters or take their Command Seals," the old man said, head hung.

"I curse you, old man. You're forcing us into a war that isn't our own and to fight people we don't know to save your world," Edward said. "At the beginning I thought you had good intentions and that's why I was eager to help, but you are as evil as the World that created this war."

No one spoke. Zelretch didn't feel he had the right to.

"Still, I will fight, not for you but for this world, even if it isn't mine. I have a policy of aiding those who seek my help. You approve of this, Saber, don't you?"

The red swordswoman appeared at his side with a smile.

"I will follow you no matter what, my Praetor."

Her words made him smile. He then turned to the other six.

"What about you guys?"

He didn't ask this question because they actually had a choice. They were already participants in the War and none them seemed to have the means to go back to their own worlds. But he wanted to make it look like it was their decision and that the reason they would fight wasn't just because they had been tricked by Zelretch.

"I can't let people die, Edward-san," Atosaki said with a smile.

"I will fight because I think something like this War shouldn't exist," Kage said.

"My honor as a magus wouldn't let me run away," Breno said.

"It's a good cause, so I think I can help out," Leo said, smirking.

"Since it's against my principles to let innocents get hurt, I will fight," Kousuke said.

Zelretch turned to Kirsche who smiled coldly at him. "I want a World Gate in return. That's something even I cannot create, and only you are capable of building. That's my price for being your 'insurance'."

Zelretch sighed and nodded, and Edward cleared his throat.

"You've got your sixth faction, Zelretch, but let me make two things clear. We are doing this because we decided to, not because of you, and once this is over I will make you pay," he said as his eyes turned bright red.

To their surprise, the old magus began to laugh a laugh that they were sure could be heard throughout the house.

"I didn't expect less from all of you, and Hellhound, I guess I can let you punch me if I you manage to win."

He stood up.

"Then let me introduce to your supervisor."

"Supervisor? You mean the Counter Guardian you mentioned when you brought me here?" Leo asked.

"Yes and no. You see, I managed to make arrangements so that instead of a Counter Guardian, you would have someone else as a supervisor to allow more freedom."

Everyone present nodded, even as a door in the back opened to let in a woman wearing a long-sleeved, light blue sweater and a white skirt.

"Your sense of drama is tacky, old man," she commented dryly, and Zelretch could only sigh while Kirsche cackled with delight.

Two of the Masters couldn't believe it. Edward knew her since he had met another version of her, and even though she didn't have simply a different hair and eye colouring, but an entirely different appearance, he knew who she was instantly.

"Sakura…?" he asked, and the woman raised a blue eyebrow at him.

"I wasn't aware that we've met," she mused. "Therefore, it would be logical to assume that you've met one of my alternate universe counterparts. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sakura of Colchis, Priestess of Hecate, and the Tenth Dead Apostle Ancestor."

Kirsche nearly fell out of her chair. "You're a vampire…?"

"No…" Sakura said while walking over to a free chair and sitting down. "…I'm not a vampire. Princess Altrouge just insisted I take over the role after I killed Nrvnsqr Chaos. She was the one who gave me the title 'The Bearer of the Word'. How fitting, considering my abilities." Sakura paused and chuckled at the irony. "Anyway enough about that…" she said while looking carefully at the gathered Masters. "…Let's talk about the upcoming contest, shall we?"

* * *

Ok Antares is a freaking monster, The Supervisor of the Oc faction would be Sakura of Colchis. But im also thinking of using Jeanne d Arc as another supervisor. Still this answer the question about the location is in artificial city created specially for the war.

Editor: spiderrock's working hard! I'll try my best as well. I've never been part of such a project, so this is a brand new experience. Thanks for your support of the story!


	7. Chapter 6 First Night

Chapter 6: First night

In the sewers of the city, a young man with short orange hair found himself crying on his knees while looking at the bloody scene before him. Corpses were lying everywhere, bodies completely dismembered, barely recognizable as humans anymore. To just about anyone it would have been viewed as a sad picture where the young man would be crying for the people that had died, but that wasn't the case. The man in question wasn't crying because of the dead, since he was the one who'd ended their lives to begin with. The man cried because the emotion had been taken away from it.

Screaming, that was what made their murders so exciting, and it was indeed "theirs" because he hadn't committed the last ones on his own. But he couldn't hear what he wanted. The spell that stopped their awakening, used in order to avoid the War being discovered, didn't let them feel any pain while being killed. No matter the method of torture he tried on them, they remained asleep, and for him that was the worst possible punishment. During his youth, the man had murdered others with the purpose of understanding death. The twisted young man had butchered countless people, not caring whether they were old or young, women or children. In any case, those times were special because they provided him with reactions and feelings that were different from the others. Their eyes full of terror, their voices asking him why he was doing it: all of those things made his work worthy.

The young man continued to sob until another figure appeared behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ryuunosuke." The figure spoke, trying to console the young man.

"Boss, they're just like dolls! There is no beauty in their deaths, no screams, no pain. It was as if they weren't alive at all!" Ryuunosuke exclaimed tearfully.

The young man looked to the figure beside him. It was a man wearing a dark blue cloak with a silver cross-shape decorating the lower part of it. Around his neck he wore a contrasting magenta-colored collar. He had huge, rolling eyes, oily, glistening cheeks and short black hair. The man was the Caster from the Faction of Zero, but even his magic couldn't wake the people from their slumber. After he was summoned, the pair decided to leave the castle since neither of them had any interest in the Grail.

The two had mounted their lair in the middle of the city sewers, and during the first hours of the night they began to abduct people in their sleep. At the beginning they didn't complain—it was easy kidnapping their victims—but they soon discovered that what seemed like a blessing really wasn't.

"I know, but worry not my friend, this atrocity is something we won't let stand," the cloaked man said, fully sharing his sadness.

"But who could have do this to the people, boss, to take from them the ability to feel?" the young man asked without realizing how hypocritical it sounded.

"I don't know, my Master, but the only way to find out is by continuing on."

"But boss! In this state it's no fun!"

"I know, but it is a sacrifice we must make in order to regain what has been taken from us."

* * *

At the residence of the White Faction, an old man with a gray beard wearing green and black noble garb looked out upon the city from the balcony of his room.

He observed how peaceful it seemed. No one would have ever thought that there was a war being waged between six different groups. He sighed. Leo had come just a moment ago and told him his plan for tomorrow, a way to beat the other Masters using the ability of his Servant, Archer. He understood it was a good strategy, but he had taken some issue with the resulting collateral damage. The only answer he received had been that "in war, sacrifices must be made." As a veteran soldier, he couldn't object to the logic of that phrase.

The man known as Dan Blackmore had already decided to execute the plan, but in his conscience he felt that what he was about to unleash was uncalled for, and that they didn't need to do such things in order to win. He began to remember, the blond boy had managed to make the others trust him by revealing his name and that of his Servant. He couldn't deny the charisma the boy emitted had a strong grip, something only a king should possess. He knew it better that anyone; he had felt the same when serving under the queen of his country.

But the line that truly convinced all the others, except for that girl in a clown costume who disappeared after getting her Lancer, had been a wish all of them shared, something everyone from that faction desired so much that they could put their own wishes behind them.

"Let's change the destiny of our world."

He, just as the others, had endured many things in that future where none of them could actually aspire to do more because the world was in stagnation. Life wasn't easy, all of them suffered in order to survive, as the only way was to do so was to belong to one of the rising empires that ruled the new world. One of them was the Harwey Family, having staked claim to sixty percent of the world. Another was the Kingdom of England, or what remained of the European Union, which Dan belonged to. It held twenty percent. Another ten was controlled by an organization known as the Atlas Institute. In the past it had been one of the three branches of the Mage's Association along with the Clock Tower and Sea of Astray.

During the purge, it was destroyed just like the other branches, but after everything died down, people began to reunite there. It was no longer a place to teach magic; it became a fortress where people who didn't have anywhere to go could stay. The one who made all that possible was Sialim Eltman Re-Atlasia, the sole survivor of the carnage. Still no one knew how she managed that.

The last ten percent of the world was composed of the many organizations that rebelled against the Harwey family and tried to break the grip they had over the world. Even though Dan respected their ideas, he just saw it as a waste of energy since it was just a matter of time before the Harweys ended up controlling the world in its entirety. After all, even though they still had control over their respective territories, both the Atlas Institute and the Kingdom of England were their allies.

But that wasn't the reason Dan would follow the Harwey boy for the time being. He really wanted to change his world; he didn't want to live in a place where no one could aspire to do anything, but most of all he hoped that if the world were different then maybe his wife would still be at his side. He had lived as a soldier with a life full of regrets, but he never looked back because everything he did was for the sake of a single person, the woman he loved.

As the old man continued to stare at the city, a younger man wearing green clothes with spiky ginger hair and bangs covering his left eye appeared behind him.

"What's wrong, boss? Don't tell me you're still against the plan."

Dan turned to the Servant clad in green and looked at him seriously.

"Tell me, Archer, you really don't feel there's anything wrong about it?"

Archer sighed. He would be lying if he said he didn't have any objections, but he had done similar things many times in life, no wonder it became his Noble Phantasm. Even while he could claim it had been for the sake of the people from that kingdom, the fact that he had used many questionable methods was undeniable.

"Look boss, I'm not saying I'm happy about it, but the blond kid has a point, and it's a very good plan that will get rid of our enemies in an easy way."

Dan went back to looking at the city from the balcony.

"A soldier knows how to adapt, Archer; we need to defeat the enemy. Nothing else matters," he said in a voice devoid of emotion.

Archer of White looked at him and disappeared. Part of him couldn't help but be curious about tomorrow, and whether he would meet another side of his Master: the soldier.

* * *

As for the seven young Masters, after their introductions Zelretch had given them a list with pictures of the Masters from the other factions. Each of the seven recognized some of the people from the list, and while some had mixed feelings about fighting them, many saw this as an opportunity to settle some old grudges.

Still, it was nearing midnight and Zelretch told them where their rooms were before disappearing. Apparently he had taken the liberty of putting all their personal belongings inside. Six of the seven Masters decided to sleep, but when Edward went to follow, Sakura stopped him.

"Edward-san, can I have a moment?"

Edward just stood there and waited until the others left before taking a seat on the couch. Saber appeared and sat at his side. Sakura took a chair and positioned herself in front of him.

"So Sakura what do you want to know?"

"I was just wondering how you recognized me."

"Why? I don't think it such a big deal."

"I'm just curious." She said with a smile.

"Your voice…" He said while looking at the ceiling.

"Excuse me?"

"…your voice…it's the only thing that seemed that didn't change between the two of you."

He lowered his head to look at her just to find an expression of surprise in her face.

"Is it weird that I recognize you because of it?"

"No it's alright." She said with a laugh. "I was just surprised, I mean even my sister failed to recognize me after I changed my appearance."

"Really…? I thought that Rin would notice right away."

Sakura laughed. "You have no idea how dense she could be." She said before pausing thoughtfully. "So, I assume the Sakura you met must mean a lot to you."

"Yeah, she was someone very important to me." He said that with a sad smile.

She had learned to read people from her mother, so she assumed something must have happened to that version of her and was wondering if she was dead when he spoke breaking her line of tough.

"You aren't wrong but you aren't right either." He said as if reading her mind.

"So what happened?"

"I failed her. I protected her, but I never noticed the scars in her heart," he said, standing up. "In the end I forced her to bear a greater burden than she deserved."

"But I don't understand, does it mean your relationship changed?"

"No. Well, I don't know," he said with a chuckle. "I haven't seen her in some time so I don't know if she still considers me a friend."

His words left her thinking. Sometimes she wondered how her life would have been if her mother hadn't saved her from that pit of soul-sucking bugs, what would have happened to her if she had been alone in that hell.

"Hey, Sakura, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I don't mind. Go ahead, Hellhound."

"Are you happy?"

She was taken by surprise. She never expected him to ask her that, but still she decided to answer with the truth.

"Yes."

"I'm happy for you, then," he said as he began to walk again. Saber followed him. "Goodnight, Sakura, and thanks. It was good to talk with an old friend." He waved a hand.

"Hellhound, wait ..."

The boy stopped walking, Saber doing the same at his side.

"Zelretch asked something stupid of all of you, and all have accepted," she said, standing up. "But tell me, what do you think you can accomplish?"

The young man didn't turn around, and Saber looked at him with worry.

"It's simple, to protect."

"You can't save everyone."

"I know, I don't intend to."

"Then you intend to save the highest possible amount of people? Like Emiya Kiritsugu?"

"How dare you!" Saber snapped but her Master stopped her.

"As I said, I'm not a savior. I will protect these people from other Masters, but I will let them decide their own fate. I'm not like him; I can't sacrifice what is important to me for an ideal; no matter how beautiful an ideal it may be, I can't follow it." He grabbed Saber's hand. "My path is a simple one, Sakura. I will protect my loved ones and help those who I see need it."

Even though his words didn't seem any different from the ideal of the magus killer, she understood that they were different. He wouldn't live his life trying to save people; he would help others but still try to achieve his own happiness.

"Goodnight, Edward Hellhound. It was interesting to talk with you."

The young man went to his room, and once the girl was alone, a figure appeared at her side.

"I can't believe you were eavesdropping on my conversation, Ruler."

"Sorry, m'lady,"

Sakura looked carefully at the blonde woman with violet eyes standing beside her. Zelretch didn't trust any of the Counter Guardians sent to supervise the other factions, so if it came to the point where they needed to take them down, they would need all the help they could get. That was the reason from bringing Sakura of Colchis from another world. The supervisor selected by Alaya had been Jeanne d'Arc, another member of the counter force, but he had managed to convince Sakura and Jeanne to make a contract during the war.

"Tell me Ruler, what you think of them?" she asked the Servant.

Ruler remained silent for a second.

"They are an interesting group. If they manage to work together, they could actually win. Each of them is unique and seems to complement the others very well."

Sakura just nodded.

"But I have some doubts about their personalities. I know I can't expect them all to be good people... I only wonder if they would actually get along."

"Well I guess time will tell but for now I think I'll just keep an eye on them."

* * *

Within the castle of the Faction of Zero, Aldebaran found himself in the room of Matou Kariya. He could describe the situation of the young man as fascinating. The man had worms inside his body that were slowly killing him, but still he had managed to endure that pain with strength of will alone. The butler had met few people with such determination. But if that was all, his death was a given and he couldn't imagine him winning.

The man in question was now lying on the floor of his room, gasping for air. The butler didn't think it was strange. After all, his Servant was a Berserker, and even in spirit form the worms continued to feed on him.

Aldebaran exited the room and continued to walk through the house. His reason was simple: he just wanted to know more about his faction. For him, this war was one big source of amusement. Unlike Kaus who hated humans or Situla who was curious, he didn't feel anything toward them. He saw them as puppets in a play. He didn't care what they would do; he was only interested in the spectacle. If the puppets ended up broken, he'd just wait for the next show. In other words, he wasn't interested in humans themselves, but in their actions.

Still, he always had his guard up, even knowing none of the Masters would be able to beat him. None of them trusted him, and it was fine since he didn't trust them either. He knew the magus killer was observing all his movements with the familiars Aldebaran himself had provided him. He knew that Kayneth was searching for a way, in his arrogance, to defeat him so he could restore his honor after the humiliation from when they first met.

As the butler continued to walk, he came across a bearded man with crimson hair even taller than him wearing bronze Greek armor and a red mantle over his shoulders.

"Rider," the butler said, making a small bow. "What business could you have with me?"

The Servant looked at the butler with a gaze that contained both interest and distrust.

"Tell me something, Counter Guardian, would you join my army?" he asked with a smirk.

The butler didn't react in any great way. He just raised his head and smiled.

"I don't know. It depends on how much you can entertain me."

"Oh, so if I promised you a life free from boredom, you would follow me?"

"Maybe. You see, my services aren't free of charge, so I should first make you sure you can fulfill your end of the bargain."

The Servant laughed.

"You are an interesting guy."

"So are you, but I really doubt you can pay my price."

"Is that so?"

"You are welcome to prove me wrong, King of Conquerors." That being said, Aldebaran disappeared.

* * *

Kousuke continued to inspect his room. All that he needed was there: his black kimono, the ancient scroll and book from his family bloodline. There was even some of his manga and DVDs and a small television he assumed he could use to relax during downtime.

When he turned to see Caster, he knew something wasn't right. Since they entered the house she had remained silent.

"Tamamo, is something wrong?" he asked as he walked up to her and caressed her cheek.

The fox-girl said nothing for a moment.

"Goshujin-sama, I'm alright," she said with a fake smile.

He knew straight away she was lying. It was probably because of the new information they got.

"Please, you know you can tell me anything. Right?"

"I'm worried."

"Tamamo…"

"I thought that after the last war it would be over, that you wouldn't need to risk your life for something like this. And don't misunderstand, Kousuke, I'm happy that I managed to meet you again, but I think it's unfair that you were chosen."

The young man didn't say anything. He just hugged her, completely understanding her feelings. He knew it wasn't fair that the old man asked so much from them, but he couldn't run and leave those people to die. He wasn't that kind of person, but he also understood that saying something in this situation would only make her worry even more, so he remained silent and held her.

* * *

In his room, Breno sat on the edge of his bed and couldn't stop thinking about the last thing he remembered before appearing in that white room. His Servant, Rider, was sitting in a brown chair while drinking a glass of wine. The room had a portable wine cooler with a very good selection, so fine that the Pharaoh didn't object and drank quietly, trying to savor all of it.

Still, Breno remembered how he fought a man with dark clothes and a katana, how he had been beaten with ease, how with his first strike the unknown man had pierced his left lung.

"Rider, do you remember that other War, the one in Lyon, France?"

The Servant didn't answer, but Breno didn't pay him much attention.

"You remember being defeated…"

In that moment, the glass of wine shattered and all its content were spilled on the carpet floor. Rider looked at him angrily.

"Don't you dare say I was defeated, peon!"

Breno paid no mind to the outburst of his Servant. He wasn't surprised, as he knew that it had been a wound to his pride, but he needed to be sure of his memories.

"You remember that in my rage after losing the Roux girl, when I was so close to achieving my vengeance, I ordered you to fight that Berserker claiming I would take care of the Master."

Rider seemed annoyed remembering how that monster had destroyed his chariot and how he'd been beaten to a pulp. He could still recall the pain of having his arm broken and being killed while he continued to claim he wouldn't lose to a mere beast.

He blamed his Master for that, as he had let his emotions take control of him, and more than that he had dared to order him around, him of all people. He was the great Ramses II, but the Command Seals didn't let him try anything funny, and even when he disliked his Master, he knew there were bigger problems, like that black swordsman who no matter how many times he was hit didn't receive a single wound.

But his thoughts were interrupted by two words he never expected to hear from his Master.

"I'm sorry."

The Pharaoh was speechless and couldn't say anything in response, so the two remained silent.

* * *

Atosaki walked through the hallways of the house searching for Edward's room. She had forgotten to return his jacket.

She was beginning to feel lost when she saw him walking with a red swordswoman and ran to him with the jacket in her hands.

"Edward-san!" she called.

He turned to her.

"Hey there, you need something?" he asked.

"I just came to return this," she said, handing him his jacket.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "Where's Lance?"

"In our room." She seemed embarrassed saying that.

"He let you come here on your own?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know he was giving me the evil eye when I gave this to you."

"I understand how he feels," Saber said.

"You just want another kiss," he said while looking at Saber, and before she could say anything back, he returned to Atosaki. "I'm sorry, really."

Atosaki was confused by his words.

"For what?"

"I know you were bothered when I told you about cutting off other Masters' arms."

"So you won't do it?" she asked hopefully.

"Trust me when I say I don't want to, but I know from experience that some people will stop at nothing in order to get the Grail," he said.

"...Does that mean you have done it before, Edward-san?"

"Yeah."

"Edward-san... I don't agree with it, but if this way we don't need to kill others, then I think I'll have to accept it."

"Thanks for understanding. Goodnight."

* * *

Kotomine Shirou entered a secret room inside the church. In its center, Pleiades stood looking at something. As Shirou continued to her side, he saw a massive gladiator held back by many pillars of light.

"Any chance he can escape?" the priest asked.

"At least not right now."

The priest smiled.

"Then everything is ready for tomorrow, Pleiades?"

"Yes, yes it is," the blond woman said.

The priest went on smiling, and with that the first night drew to a close.

* * *

Well, here I am on the edge of my seat. I really do hope you're enjoying the ride, I know I am. I'm just curious, what do you think of the original characters' faction? Anything you want to see from them? To me, they add such a great element of surprise... Almost anything could happen! Thanks for reading. -Editor

The first night is over and make your guesst about the next fight, Just to make an aclaration in this world there is no Josephine Roux, so Breno wont be so crazy and cant be a little different as he is no longer consumed by hs obssesion, that doesnt mean he would change completely. Still please review !

I change the part about the list of masters as after reading a comment i realize it would be unfair, thanks coronadomontes and i hope you can keep helping me with your opinions.


	8. Chapter 7 Alliances

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 7

He felt pain; he felt how, slowly, life was being drained from his body. He felt himself dying, but he didn't know or remember what had happened. He had been exploring the city with his Servant and Saber of Black when he found another Master and a fight began. His side was winning, none of the enemy Servants able to harm Saber of Black despite fighting two-on-one.

He kind of saw it coming. The moment the six other Servants were summoned, Lancer of Black had taken great interest in the swordsman. After Darnic managed to obtain his real name from his Master Gordes, a fat blond man who was the most loyal to him, the black spearman declared Saber would be a key piece in their strategy.

Caules found it weird that the Servant of the spear had such authority. In the time he had seen them together, it seemed almost that Darnic was the Servant and Lancer of Black was the Master. They both shared a lack of expectation in him. Even while Lancer believed Berserker was a good general like the other Servants, he viewed Caules as a weak point with his lack of skill.

That was the reason he didn't let him go alone to explore the city, sending Saber along with him so there wouldn't be problems. But Lancer couldn't predict the actions of that young man with the black coat. Even with Saber and Berserker at his side, Caules had been shot and soon found himself dying. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the worried face of his Servant. It didn't make sense; according to legend, Frankenstein was a monster that had killed countless people, which caused the villagers to hunt him down and make him hide. But the story describe him as a horrid male instead of a beautiful girl, so maybe it had been wrong all along.

The boy slowly opened his eyes. After staring at the ceiling for a few moments, he tried to identify the room. Seconds passed before he realized he was back in the castle. He turned his head to the left and found Berserker of Black seated at his side, looking at him. The moment she saw him wake up, he swore he saw a little smile on her face. At the beginning he wouldn't have believed it, but then he remembered. Someone must have brought him back to the castle. Once Berserker stood, he saw the bloodstains over her pretty outfit.

"Sorry, for your dress," the boy was barely able to say, his throat dry.

"It's… alright… Master," Berserker said, surprising the boy.

He never thought she could talk, a skill not many Berserkers had, but that wasn't all. He was surprised because of her expression. She seemed relieved, happy that he wasn't dead. With each moment that went by, the images of her evoked by the legend began to break. He tried to recall it.

The monster didn't kill anyone for pleasure. The kid had been an accident, she didn't dare hurt the old man who welcomed her into his house, and she only killed the family of Victor Frankenstein because he had rejected the very idea of giving her a mate, because of the pain of being left alone, because of the rage and agony of being rejected, never for pleasure.

That was something Caules understood very well. To the other members of the clan he was nothing but a replacement, a tool in case Fiore couldn't succeed Darnic. He felt rejected by everyone, and that was why he tried to search for a different path, one in which he could find happiness, yet the War stopped him at the moment his Command Seal appeared and he with the others went to that room.

Caules didn't want the Grail, even while he enjoyed being a magus for the sole reason that he could see absurd phenomena that went against logic. But as he continued to study the face of his Servant, he understood the reason why she felt so relieved: she didn't want to be left alone again.

* * *

Inside the base of the White Faction, a boy with short blue hair lay over one of the couches, observing the ceiling. At his side was a disk Leo had asked him to do something with last night. It wasn't too difficult; Leo requested he develop for him a program which could find the other Masters. To anyone else that would be crazy, as normally only magi could detect each other. He and the members of his faction, even while they had magic circuits, weren't truly magi and didn't have any way to feel others. However, there was a way to circumvent the issue. The moment any human decided to use magic, the release of prana caused the temperature of their bodies to rise. Simply put, he'd use heat sensors.

Leo entered the living room and looked at the blue-haired boy who had on a brown school uniform, a laptop at his side and a cup of coffee on the floor. Seeing the CD made the blond young man smile.

"It seems you finished. I'm surprised you managed to do it in one night."

The boy just smirked at him as he sat up.

"Who do you think I am?"

"I agree that you live up to the name of 'Reigning Champion in Asia.' Shinji Matou, let me congratulate you for your work," Leo said.

He needed to give the boy some credit. Even though his family hadn't been able to locate him before, even with all their resources, he never believed him to be a thirteen-year-old boy. After all, who would have thought that the greatest hacker in their world would turn out a mere kid?

"All of that is good, but how do you intend to use this program?"

Shinji was asking him a fair question. In order to use it throughout the city, they would need something like surveillance cameras all over, and they had neither the time nor manpower to do this. In that very moment, Kaus appeared with a bag in his left hand. The dragon knight seemed aggravated, and that expression alone was enough to make Shinji tremble with fear.

"I got what you asked for, now don't bother me," the knight said, looking at Leo with cold eyes.

"I won't, and trust me, if I could get these things on my own, I wouldn't even see you, dog of Alaya," Leo said hatefully.

"Don't talk back to me, human!" Kaus said as he was surrounded by a black aura.

Gawain appeared at his Master's side and the two knights confronted each other, the pressure alone seeming about to break the air. Shinji felt himself being killed by the aura of those two, but more so by the dragon knight. There was nothing but darkness, a mix of hate, rage and, was it, sorrow?

Yes, this was a product of betrayal. He had loved humans once, but they let him down and all his love turned into pure loathing.

Shinji was about to crack when a woman with long, salmon-colored hair, appeared behind him with a hand on his shoulder. She wore pirate's clothing and had a scar across her face. Her touch managed to calm him before Kaus decided to back down. Normally he wouldn't, but Antares had warned him not to do anything to the contestants.

Such a hypocrite, he talked as if he were a good person, Kaus thought as he was covered in shadows and disappeared.

After silence was allowed to momentarily reign in that room, Leo grabbed the bag Kaus had left on the floor and began to walk away.

"You must be more careful," the pirate woman said, trying to soothe the blue-haired boy.

Gawain seemed annoyed by the comment.

"You dare to lecture my king?" he asked.

"Take it as you want, but you know my Master isn't the combative type, and moreover he is just a kid, so take your fights outside," Rider of White said, defensive.

"You're right," said Leo, stopping Gawain. "My apologies to you two."

Rider took her Master with her as she left the room. Leo just remained there, unable to understand how that Counter Guardian could make him act differently, how he could make him feel so much hate. Maybe it was because he hated him a lot, so it was fair to return the feelings. Another reason could be Kaus' very nature. He could be described as someone who only brought chaos and death with him, while Leo as a king tried to create order. Leo didn't know, and he decided it would be better to stop thinking about it.

He was about to return to his room when a snow-white dove came through the open window, a small piece of paper wrapped around its leg. The moment he opened the scroll and read the message, Leo became very intrigued.

* * *

The pirate carried Shinji to the second floor of the house. He was shaking and she couldn't blame the boy. Even she felt fear when she saw that black aura, and even a villain like her couldn't stand such darkness to the point she wondered how all that hate hadn't destroyed him. She took Shinji to his room.

"Thanks…" the boy murmured as she put him on his bed.

The pirate has never been good with children, but for some reason she liked the boy. At the beginning she cursed her luck because her Master was a child. Her opinion changed as she watched him work all night without a break, the coffee something she had been drinking while observing him.

"You need to man up! You can't cower in fear just because of a fight, kid," she said in an attempt to make him forget the incident.

"Sh… Shut up!" Shinji snapped.

"Yes, just like that," she said while patting him on the head with a tipsy grin.

"Stop that, you drunkard!" Shinji said, trying to remove her hand.

* * *

At the church, the priest was sitting in the chapel along with Assassin, awaiting an answer to be returned by her familiar. Assassin of Red could use doves as such. They had searched the city last night, and with them he saw the battle between the two Lancers and managed to find the base of the White Faction by following that clown woman. Still, he had a plan. His advantage was that no one knew he was a man with many Servants, so he needed to keep that secret as long as he could. The easiest way was to lead the others into believing he was the Master of just one.

This War could not be won alone since there were so many competitors at this stage. Making alliances was something that he needed to do.

"Are you sure about this?" his Servant asked as she appeared behind him.

"No, but he is the only one I know from another faction, so why not give it a shot?"

"I hope you know what you are doing."

The priest turned to her, raised his hand and placed it on her cheek. He smiled.

"Worried about me?"

Assassin of Red swatted at his hand and glared at him.

"No, I'm worried that I will lose my source of mana and I won't be able to fulfill my wish."

"Is that so?" he said with a chuckle. "Then I will be careful."

As they continued to watch each other, a third figure appeared, a man with brown hair and a beard wearing Victorian clothing. He clutched a book and a quill pen in his hands and had an expression of earnest excitement on his face.

"Please, continue, this story is rich. The woman is worried about her lord but she doesn't dare show it, and he has such great will that he would do anything in order to achieve his goals." The man began to write things down like crazy. "Oh, I can already see the tragic events that will come and make this story a piece of art!"

Shirou sighed while Assassin blushed at his words.

"Please don't jinx me Caster. I really don't want my story to be a tragedy. Also, what did I tell you about using your abilities?"

"Don't worry Master, this is a regular book and pen. You know that writing is part of my nature."

"I suppose if that's what makes you happy, you are free to continue." Caster seemed delighted by his words, and then he turned to Assassin, holding in his laughter. "Are you really so worried about me that you can't say it?"

She turned once again completely red and didn't know how to answer him.

"I don't have time for this," she said as she disappeared.

"I think I went too far," he said to Caster, although the playwright wasn't paying him any attention.

He sighed again, and at that moment a dove came with an answer to his proposal. When he read it, the priest just smiled.

* * *

Rider of Black returned to the castle and changed into his armor before going to the living room in which he had first been summoned along with Saber, Berserker and Archer. He found his Master, a mature-looking woman with silver hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore the usual clothes of the clan along with a black skirt and leggings.

"Mademoiselle Celenike, did you call?"

Celenike looked at him with a smirk and Rider couldn't help but get a bad feeling. His Master was a practitioner of the dark arts, and he didn't really know what that meant for him, but he was a little bothered that she smelled so much like blood. Not that he was saint or anything, he also smelled like it, but as he would reiterate, he was a gentleman, and he thought that it wasn't right for a woman to have such a scent.

"As you know," she started to say, "Caules got shot last night and there was a fight at the castle door."

"How could I forget? Lancer threatened that if Archer and I dared to intervene, he would kill us too."

"Well, since the boy can't move for a while and he didn't finish exploring the city, Lord Darnic and Lancer decided to assign the task to someone else. God, that kid is useless. You and Saber should be able to do it. I know you like to go out, so this is your chance," she finished and began to leave.

Normally Rider would be happy that he was allowed to do what he wanted and that it was okay because it was a mission, but he didn't like that way his Master talked about that young man. He had only seen Caules during the summoning, but he seemed like a nice guy who even answered him on Berserker's behalf when he asked her name.

He decided to check on Berserker of Black and her Master before he'd search for Saber and leave.

* * *

At the castle of the Faction of Zero, five people found themselves discussing important matters. It was just Kayneth who didn't want to accept the new plan; the others had agreed with one another. Besides Kayneth, Kiritsugu, Tokiomi, Waver and Kirei, there was only one Master who was left out, Kariya, as they decided he needed to save all the strength he could since Berserker was a very valuable asset.

Using the familiars Aldebaran had given him, Kiritsugu had seen the battles that had begun around the city. He couldn't deny that it was a good but dangerous idea, to strike in the very beginning before anyone put up their defenses, but that didn't leave much time for preparation, so a stronger Servant could possibly win against them. He had also seen a battle between two Lancers and after seeing the victor turn into a Dead Apostle, he recognized the black spearman as Vlad III.

In any case, they have agreed to continue using Assassin to gather information and let the other Servants kill each other. At the beginning Rider protested, arguing that wasn't the way a war should be, but he stopped when Kiritsugu asked him and Waver to look for Caster. He was worried as the only one who'd gone missing was that boy with orange hair.

Still Kayneth didn't agree, as he believed that was the same as hiding cowardly. In a way he was right, but at the same time he was wrong. Kiritsugu had decided this because of numbers; there were thirty-four Servants out there and acting reckless could mean dying like that clown. And so they would move at night since they couldn't leave everything to Assassin, but the plan was to avoid battle if possible in order to gain some advantage over the other groups. But Kayneth, in his arrogance, didn't notice this. They couldn't just charge in; they needed a way to find the other Masters, to create a strategy. It would take him a couple of days. The war was just starting and they had time, or so they thought.

* * *

On top of a tall building, a young priest and a young man with fair hair found themselves looking at each other.

"I'm glad you could make it here. I'm Shirou Kotomine," the priest said with his usual false smile.

"Leonardo B. Harwey. Nice to meet you, Shirou-san."

"You must be wondering why I called you here, right?" he asked.

"I do, but why did you address me in particular?"

"Eh? I didn't, I just sent it to the house. You being the one to receive it was just a coincidence."

"I see. So what do you need from me, Shirou-san?"

"As the leader of the Red Faction, I propose to you, Leonardo, an alliance between us until the number of enemies reduces to half."

"What are the conditions?"

"So you are going to accept?"

"I didn't say that. Only a fool takes or rejects something without fully knowing what it involves."

"Fair enough. We will work on our own, but we are free to go to each other for help. I'm willing to reveal the name of my Servant as part of the agreement."

"What about the others Servants of your faction?"

"They have their Masters, I can't speak for them."

"Which is your Servant?"

"Berserker," the priest lied. "So, do we have a truce?"

Shirou extended his hand. Leo thought about it for a moment before making his move. It was something he didn't know at the moment, but this would be one of the turning points in the War.

He reached for the offered hand.

* * *

Alright another one done, remember that the original body of Shinji in a kid but to I make him a little older, The other factions began to move and alliances are born. Feel free to leave any suggestions for the next review.


	9. Chapter 8 Family Bonds

Chapter 8: Family Bonds

A man seated in the living room of a house watched two little girls playing happily with each other. One had silver hair with blue eyes and wore a beautiful white dress. The second was a near identical copy of the first, the only difference being that she had on a black dress.

The man wore a black leather coat with a crown of feathers adorning the neck. He didn't know why he was even watching the two girls. They could be mistaken by twins, but he knew they weren't. To his horror the little girl was a Master, her Servant a clone. He wasn't sure about her class, as they would always refer to themselves by a single name, Alice.

"Mister Julius!" the two girls called as they walked up to him. "Please play with us."

The petite girls both wore a smile.

Julius flinched at their words. He didn't know what to say. No, that would be a lie, he knew he could have said "yes" or "no" and, as he continued to look at those eyes full of expectancy, he found himself about to surrender and play with them. And then he stopped himself. He couldn't do that. It would mean acting like a human, and he had stopped being one a long time ago. He was only a tool, one for Leo to use to become the perfect king.

"Mister Julius, you don't want to play?" the white-dressed Alice asked him.

The man in black didn't answer her.

As the girls began to lower their heads in disappointment, Rider of White appeared atop the staircase that led to the second floor.

"Hey there little girls, there's a boy here crying like crazy, so come and cheer him up, would ya?" she said with a smirk.

"I'm not crying!" The voice of Shinji could be heard from upstairs. "Also, I'm just doing this because I promised, alright!"

The girls giggled before climbing the stairs toward the blue-haired boy. Julius sighed in relief as he saw the girls leave and even blocked out the glare of distrust coming from Rider.

As the pirate disappeared, he felt another presence behind him.

"You could play with them, you know."

"Assassin. Not now," he said simply, ignoring the person behind him.

"Why not? Come on Julius, there is no one here. I'm sure you can satisfy my curiosity a little."

"Shut up."

"Just tell me."

"Shut up."

"Come on, let me guess. You don't want to play?"

"I told you to shut up!"

"Is it because you hate them?"

"SHUT UP!" Julius snapped as he stood and turned to the man behind him. "It is not that."

"Then tell me."

He murmured something Assassin couldn't hear.

"What was that?"

"I… I don't… want to taint them."

Assassin understood, as he, just like Julius, had the blood of many people on his hands, yet he didn't regret it. It was true he had gone astray and brought shame to the school that taught him how to fight, but he couldn't feel regret, as that would mean regretting the fights he had with many people he respected. Assassin, though a murderer, believed that those people he met and fought to the death were at the same time his closest friends. As they exchanged fists, they learned everything about the other. At the same time he understood Julius' words. Those girls were pure, or at least the human was, so it was better to not let them associate themselves with murderers. He knew what his Master wished and chose to remain silent.

* * *

When Rider of Black had almost reached Caules' room, he came across a girl in a wheelchair and a man with long green hair wearing brown Greek armor behind her.

"Hey there, Archer!" the paladin called to the bowman before turning to the girl with a small bow. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle Fiore."

"Good morning, Rider," she said with a weak smile.

"Rider, I thought you went to go wander the city."

"My Master called me back. I was about to go out again, but I decided to check on Berserker and her Master. It seems I wasn't the only one," Rider said with his usual grin.

But at his words the young girl lowered her head, as if saying that he was wrong. Rider's smile faded the moment he saw that and before he could speak, Archer grabbed his arm and moved a little down the hallway.

"Rider, please don't."

"Archer, tell me one reason she could possibly have to ignore her brother," the paladin said. He was completely serious, his cheerfulness gone.

"There are two reasons, actually," the bowman said, trying to calm him down.

"Explain."

"She doesn't feel she has the right. She told me that last night she asked him before he left what his wish would be, and he said that he didn't have one, but if she were to die he would use it to bring her back."

Rider's eyes widened. He didn't expect that at all. It wasn't the fact that he was a magus who didn't search for the Root like the others, not the fact he didn't have any desire when he could ask the Grail, but the fact that his sister would mean so much to him that he would try to save her.

"Still doesn't make sense. In any case, it should be a reason…" At that moment he understood. "You can't be serious."

"She isn't sure if she would bring him back. There are other things she desires." Archer sighed. "She is conflicted that if it ended up coming between getting her legs back and her brother's life, she may not choose him."

Rider remained serious. He had to use all his will to stop himself from pushing Archer aside and confronting Fiore.

"You told me there was another reason."

"Berserker didn't let her in."

"How does she know if she didn't even try?"

"She doesn't, Berserker only told that to me."

"She can talk?" The paladin was really surprised. "Then why she didn't answer me after the summoning?"

"She is shy, but that's it."

"I don't approve, Archer, and I'm sure you don't either."

"I don't, but it's her choice to make."

"I guess."

The paladin began to walk to the room and stopped in front of Fiore.

"I will visit your brother if it doesn't bother you, Mademoiselle Fiore."

The girl just nodded.

* * *

It was now midday. At the mansion of the Blue Faction, Sakura found herself in her room not knowing what to do. She was scared, scared of her grandfather, scared to fight, scared that Shirou and Rin would end up going against her.

After all she couldn't disobey him. Even though Antares had kicked him out of the house, it didn't change anything. He was still alive and he would come back for her.

"It seems you are thinking about me, Sakura," a voice said.

She felt a shiver go up her spine, unable to move.

"Grand… father?" Fear filled her voice.

"I'm disappointed in you, Sakura. I thought my little granddaughter would give her support when that dog of Alaya decided to attack me."

The girl didn't answer. She continued to tremble in fear and she could feel that the worm magus was smiling, looking at her.

"Well, the past is the past. I want to know how you are going to make it up to me for that."

"Eh?"

"I hope you haven't forgotten, you need to help me get the Grail. That is your duty as a member of the Matou House."

"I … I don't want to fight nee-san or senpai."

"You don't have a choice, my girl. What would they think when they see the real you, when they know you have been lying to them all this time. The Tohsaka will hate you and the son of Emiya will abandon you."

"NO! Anything but that!" she yelled as she began to cry.

"Then there is only one thing you can do, Sakura."

"I… I... I…"

"Come on—" The voice was stopped by a nail-like dagger thrust into the wall.

Sakura raised her head and saw Rider standing at the door. The Servant looked concerned and the moment she walked over, Sakura hugged her and sobbed.

"Don't worry, I will protect you," Rider said softly, stroking her hair.

In a nearby building, Zouken stood smiling. He didn't care that she hadn't yet accepted or that Rider killed the worm he used to talk with Sakura. After all, it fulfilled its mission. A seed had been planted inside of her mind: the seed of doubt.

Back at the house of the sixth faction, Atosaki found herself a little worried. In the morning all went well. They met the maids Zelretch had put in charge of housework. Apparently they were red-headed twin sisters, one wearing a crimson maid outfit, the other a crimson kimono with a white apron on the front. Surprisingly, Sakura had shown discomfort at their appearance, palming her face and asking Zelretch if they were from her world. When he'd answered no, she calmed down, and later called everyone to the living room except for Kirsche and introduced them as Kohaku and Hisui. Atosaki was glad to meet new people, but she was concerned that being with those two put them in danger.

"Don't worry. In any case, it's safer for them to be here where we can protect them, instead of outside at the aim of any master," Leo had reassured her.

She wondered why Leo acted kind to her while with both Edward and Kousuke he seemed a little cold. The day started normally and without problems. Kohaku made lunch even though they all ate at different times. Atosaki expected the same for dinner but was surprised when she found that Leo, Breno, Kousuke and Edward were in the living room helping set the table. She let herself smile a little as Sakura of Colchis appeared and sat down beside her.

The moment she seated herself she noticed a few people were missing.

"Where are Kage-san and Kirsche-san?" Atosaki asked.

"Well, Kage said he would eat later, and Kirsche left early this morning," Edward answered, giving her a piece of paper with a message written on it

"I will go out, don't even think of bothering me until I get back."

She laughed nervously. At that moment, the two maids came and served the five Masters as everyone took their seats.

"You sure it's alright to leave her alone, Edward-san?"

"She is a grown girl, and I think she would get mad if I followed her."

"Don't talk as if you aren't doing it," Leo interjected.

"Hey, she's free to destroy the ghost fire if she wants to," he answered as he began to eat.

Atosaki realized that there was a small crimson sphere stuck to the back of her sky-blue dress.

"Edward-san!" she said, standing up, a little embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" He seemed confused.

"You've been watching us all this time?!"

"Uh? No, I just forgot to take them off last night. I remembered this morning and decided to leave them as a way to keep in touch."

"Is that all?" Her face now had a flush of red.

"Yeah, I know it may be uncomfortable, but I can only use it to talk through and sense other presences. I don't really get what else bothers you so much."

Both Caster and Saber appeared.

"Praetor, you must treat a lady better than that. God, what have I taught you?"

"That's right, a girl needs her privacy."

None of the boys understood what they were talking about but still decided to apologize and Edward made the ghost fire disappear, Sakura giggling at this all the while.

In that moment Kirsche returned and saw all the boys saying sorry and couldn't help but smirk at the scene.

"Hey there, Kirsche." She was greeted by Edward. "Want to eat something?"

"No need, Hellhound. I ate outside."

"About that. Where did you go?"

"I was exploring. I must admit, Zelretch did some great work. No one would think this place isn't a real city."

"Is that so?" Breno said as he stood from the table. "Well, I'm going out."

He started walking away.

"Wait, Breno-san. I must say something to all of you," Sakura said.

The six Masters look at her.

"Shouldn't we wait for Kage?" Leo asked.

"He is already here," Sakura said with a smile.

All of them looked to the table and found a young man wearing a gray shirt with black jeans sitting and eating. They realized it was Kage.

"What?" He finally noticed that they were all looking at him.

"How did you do it?" asked Breno.

"He's good. Right, Kousuke?" Edward added, amused.

"Can't deny it."

"It seems the most normal of us is Atosaki," Leo said, smiling.

Sakura brought back order.

"Alright, as I was saying, I would like to ask all of you to call me Ginevra du Lac when introducing me to other people."

"Sakura…" Edward said.

"I don't mind, but why?" Kousuke asked while looking at the sorceress.

"Mostly to avoid problems with the other Masters that, like Edward-san, know another version of me. Also, I like the name."

"That's all?" Breno asked and Sakura nodded. "As I was saying I will be going."

"Alright, we'll see you later."

"Where are you going, Breno-san?" Atosaki asked.

Breno stopped and looked at her for a second and continued to walk, leaving Atosaki confused.

"Fights for the Grail are at night, so we also need to leave for a while," Edward said as he stood along with the others. "See ya, Atosaki-san."

* * *

On the other side of the city, Kayneth, who had decided to act alone, was feeling impatient. He hadn't found a single Master.

"Is it that all? The Masters in this War are cowards!" He was about to lose it.

A green-outfitted man holding two spears wrapped in cloth appeared at his side. He was undeniably handsome, with a beauty mark at the corner of his right eye.

"My lord, I beg you to have more patience."

"Shut up! This is all your fault Lancer, your presence is so weak that none of the other Masters notice it."

"I ask of you your forgiveness," he said, bowing slightly.

He didn't know he was being watched by the Assassin of his very faction.

"You sure we should let him go alone, master?" Kirei asked.

"It can't be helped Kirei-kun." Tokiomi sighed.

"Kirei, go with him. I will also send Saber along with you." Kiritsugu said, lighting a smoke.

"Emiya-san, are you sure?" Tokiomi asked.

The flame magus didn't trust the magus killer at all. His tactics were an insult to magi in general. He resorted to modern equipment and he didn't have any pride. But at the same time, his techniques would be an advantage and as they worked together Tokiomi could learn more and create a strategy to beat them.

When the magus killer nodded and Kirei left the house along with Saber of Zero, Tokiomi decided to go back to his room. He expected to found an annoyed King of Heroes who couldn't tolerate the idea of many mongrels fighting for a treasure he assumed was his possession. He actually found the room empty, making his confusion grow as he wondered where his Servant possibly could have gone. It was such a surprise that he didn't notice Aldebaran wasn't around either.

On the top of a nearby building, the golden Servant stood looking at the sky. Anger filled his entire being. It wasn't because of the thieves trying to steal his treasure or the fact that he, being a king, needed to side with other Heroic Spirits.

No, it was that even after all these centuries he saw Gaia continuing to play with the lives of humans. The very moment he was summoned, he could feel Gaia's influence and knew this charade was just a game created by her.

"Even after all this time, you continue to play with others, Gaia, and keep using these dogs for that."

"Please, King of Heroes, you don't need to be so rude," Aldebaran said, showing up behind him.

"You dare to stand as an equal to me? Mongrel!"

In that instant a golden portal appeared at his side and a gilded axe went flying toward the butler. It didn't reach him. Aldebaran grabbed the axe with ease once it came a few centimeters away.

"Not bad. I can't believe you'd forsaken a life with the blessing of the gods. Maybe in that case your weapon would have reached me."

"Mongrel, I am a king. No king kneels before anyone, not even the gods. If I did, I wouldn't have any pride and end up a mere slave just like you."

The Counter Guardian smiled.

"So tell me, the reason you called me here is to insult me?"

"No, I think I should use you to punish the World for making me participate is such an absurd game."

"I see. But King of Heroes, do you really expect to be a match for me?"

"Are you calling me weak, mongrel?!" Gilgamesh demanded as many portals began to open behind him.

Aldebaran just smirked in anticipation. After all, an opportunity where the observer could partake in the show was rare.

"Well, I can't harm participants, but if it's in self-defense, I guess I could play a little with you, golden boy," Aldebaran said as a silver aura began to surround him. "Please try not to die so fast!"

The butler dashed at him.

"Insolent fool!" Gilgamesh roared as the weapons stored inside the Gate of Babylon were shot at the Counter Guardian.

Explosions burst on the top of the building. Far away they were being watched by a female Archer with green hair, cat ears and a tail, wearing a green and yellow dress with black leggings. She was the only witness of the battle that was happening.

"So it begins," she whispered.

* * *

At the entrance of the house, Edward, now sporting a black long sleeve t-shirt with a red vest and black pants, was waiting for someone.

"Praetor." Saber sounded annoyed. "How long do we need to wait? I mean that guy who had the black coat and the one with a tie already left."

"Saber, they have names. Also, since when do you care about what others do?"

"Well…" She didn't know how to answer.

"Just tell me you're bored," he said, making her blush.

"I… how dare…"

At her struggle he just laughed and put his hand on her cheek.

"Stupid Praetor," she said in a whisper.

"So the great emperor is reduced to a schoolgirl, I can't believe it," Caster said with a grin while appearing in the room.

"Caster, please don't be like that," said Kousuke, who was now wearing a black kimono with a red haori, while leaning against the wall, his sword at his right side.

"But Goshujin-sama, it's so fun!" she said with smile.

"Well, leaving all that aside, I wonder why Atosaki-san I taking so long."

"By the way, Edward-kun, why do I need to tag along with you?" Kousuke asked with no other reason than curiosity.

"I think the same, Hellhound," Leo said, entering the room. He was now wearing a silver jacket with a white shirt.

"I have a first name, Leo, and to answer your question, I don't know. Atosaki just told me to wait for her."

The two Masters look at him doubtfully.

"Guys, I'm ready, sorry for making you wait!" Atosaki's voice was heard and the moment she entered the room, all the boys were left speechless.

She was now wearing a plaid red and black dress with a gray turtleneck as innerwear along with a pink scarf. The three boys agreed she looked pretty. Both Edward and Kousuke felt the glares of their Servants the moment they looked at her, forcing them to quickly turn away.

"You look nice Atosaki, so why do we need to wait?" Leo asked.

"Thanks," she said with a slight blush, but then turned serious. "Please hold out your hands."

The three did as they were told and she put in each of them a smooth rock with a B written on it.

"What is this?" Edward asked.

"Berkano, the tracking rune," Caster said.

"Yep, another one of the runes Lance taught me," she said happily. "It works like your ghost fire, Edward-san, so we can know where everyone is."

They nodded and the four left the house. They asked Kirsche to come along, but she decided she would remain at home. Before they split, Edward give Kousuke the black gem that contained Cerberus and Leo the red one that contained Kyrph.

"In case you need them," he added, and the four split up, Leo with Kousuke and Edward with Atosaki.

Both Leo and Kousuke summoned the beasts and after looking at their master, they let the two ride them.

He saw them fly into the sky and turned to the black-haired girl. Lance suddenly appeared and lifted her bridal style.

"La… Lance!" Atosaki said, a little embarrassed.

Edward watched him begin to the roof of a nearby building and then leap to the others. As he was about to follow, Saber appeared nearby.

"Praetor, me too," she said.

He knew that objecting now would only be a waste of time, and that sometimes he needed to make his emperor happy. He lifted her as his legs were surrounded by flames and he flew to follow the other pair.

* * *

Kayneth had completely lost his patience. He had been wandering for hours in the streets of the city and there was no sign of any Servants. He'd even made Lancer materialize to lure them out, but he failed to notice that this was a war and not simply a competition of magi. No one would just blindly attack since there were so many competitors, moreover because it seemed like a trap.

He reached his breaking point and stopped hiding in the shadows. The very moment he did, a pillar of flames came at him before he could even think of dodging.

If it weren't for Lancer of Zero, he would have been reduced to a pile of ashes.

"Who dares?!"

"You're too noisy. Remember, a magus must remain calm at any moment," Breno said as he made himself visible.

"Couldn't you choose a better target?" Rider complained as he looked at the spearman.

"Don't worry, he is weak." Breno reassured him, causing Kayneth to completely lose his cool.

"Me, weak?!" he yelled as he took a vial of Volumen Hydrargyrum from his pocket. "It seems I need to teach you some manners, you piece of trash. Take care of his Servant, Lancer. The boy is mine."

Lancer nodded and dashed at Rider. The pharaoh summoned his blade and clashed in the middle of the streets with the spearman.

Breno wrapped flames around his arms from the wrists to elbows and got ready for Kayneth's attack.

* * *

Shirou Emiya arrived along with Saber to a park in the middle of the city. He and Rin had decided to go out, but after a while Saber felt a very familiar presence. When she began to run, Shirou followed her.

"Saber," he panted, tired from going so fast. "What's wrong?"

"He is here," Saber said with a smile.

"Who?"

"An old friend."

Gawain then appeared in front of them with Leo at his side. The moment she saw him, Saber couldn't express her happiness over how one of her fellow knights had been summoned. She walked over to greet him, but when she was a few steps away, Gawain drew his sword and pointed it at Saber.

"Gawain?" She couldn't understand.

"Arturia, you are my former king, and I respect you for that. But at present you are a threat to my current one, so get ready," he said coldly.

"You can't be serious! You're a member of the Knights of the Round Table!" Shirou yelled at the silver knight.

"I was, but right now I am the Saber of the White Faction," he said as he dashed at Saber of Blue.

The moment the two sister swords clashed, Saber could feel her heart begin to ache. She was being forced to fight her own relative, her friend, her knight. No one could stop this fight. That was the fate of the silver knight who had sworn that if he received another chance he would protect his king at all costs, even if that meant slaying a person very important to him. The battle between Sabers had begun.

* * *

"What are you doing, my lady?" Hisui asked as Ginevra poured water into a bronze basin with one hand, clutching a jar with her other.

"Preparing for tonight's entertainment," she replied, sitting in a nearby chair and fishing out a cookie from the jar, her free hand used to activate the water mirror. She bit into the cookie as she skimmed across the city, and then promptly spat it out at the sight of Gilgamesh fighting a Counter Guardian. "Your Majesty…!"

* * *

Alright another one done, fight began all over the city and make your bets between Gilgamesh and Aldebaran or Saber and Gawain still its the first time in a long time i put 2 chapters in on week. Alright please review


	10. Chapter 9 Second night

Chapter 9 Second Night

Ginevra couldn't believe what she was seeing, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, fighting against Aldebaran, but that wasn't the most surprising thing to her. It was the fact that the butler fought on par with him, rapidly dodging the barrage of Noble Phantasms being shot in his direction.

"Come on golden boy, get serious," Aldebaran said with a smirk.

"Mongrel, this is enough," said Gilgamesh as countless of portals appeared around Aldebaran.

The weapons were shot while the butler just smiled a smile which Gilgamesh found disgusting. He turned away knowing the butler would die in a few seconds, and his death was unworthy of an audience. He took one step and heard an explosion, not thinking it weird that he didn't scream with the assumption his demise came so fast he had no time to feel pain. In the eyes of the golden Servant, this was a privilege he didn't deserve, but it couldn't be helped.

As he began to walk off, he failed to notice one of his treasures flying from the cloud of smoke created by his last attack until it cut his right cheek. The king stopped but didn't turn.

"Running away? We have just begun," Aldebaran said enthusiastically, grinning.

His smile faded the moment he felt anger emanating from the golden Servant, who slowly turned to face him.

"You not only dare lay a hand on my treasures, but you dare make me shed blood?" Hearing his voice, Aldebaran knew he was serious. "A thousand deaths are not enough to make you pay for what you have done!"

"You don't learn, do you?" Aldebaran sighed.

Before Gilgamesh could do anything, the butler disappeared. He began to look in all directions trying to find him. Eventually he looked up and saw Aldebaran in the air directly over him, and in less than a second he descended with his fist out and aimed at his face. Still, the rest of that second provided enough time for the King of Heroes to react, and the butler's attack was stopped by a pair of silver and golden swords. Something felt wrong. Even taking into account the force of the dive, the blow was too heavy.

"What?" exclaimed the king when the ground under him started cracking.

Aldebaran continued to put more strength into his fist, trying to break the two blades. In the end, he only managed to push Gilgamesh back a little. That alone was a great feat, as over many centuries there had been none who successfully pulled it off.

The reason the butler managed to do this was because of his ability. Gravity could be used in many ways such as reducing the gravity on himself in order to move faster and even enabling him to stand in the air or increase it, making his attacks greater and stronger.

"You know something, King of Heroes, you won't beat me if you continue to underestimate my power," he said as he began to take off his tailcoat. "And I need you to entertain me a bit."

"I see." The golden Servant didn't seem angry, which make the butler tense a little." I will definitely enjoy your screams as I cut you limb from limb and rip out your beating heart."

Aldebaran was surprised. He couldn't detect any trace of that past anger, as if the feelings of the Servant betrayed his words. Then he understood the reason for the lack of hate and rage. Gilgamesh had turned serious for the first time since the battle with his only friend. He had decided to destroy the being in front of him with everything he had, his concentration so great that in his mind there was no room for emotion. The only thing he sought was Aldebaran's permanent end.

"Let's continue, mongrel," he finished with a smile.

* * *

She had been in a lot of fights, none of which were easy, each of them demanding pain and sacrifice for her to emerge victorious, yet this was the second time she ever felt her own blade become so dull and heavy. Gawain's words weren't wrong. It made complete sense, as they were both Servants, their fate being to fight, but it was painful.

The pain didn't come from the fight himself, but from seeing the eyes of her knight, which looked frighteningly dead. With each clash of their swords, she remembered how the people of her kingdom used to compare him to the sun. The reason for that was because his eyes were always filled with warmth and life, but now that was just a memory.

The sister swords clashed once again. This time, Saber of Blue was pushed back.

"You are disappointing me, Arturia."

Gawain leapt at her with his blade raised and trained on her neck. Saber blocked it with her invisible sword, even then being sent flying toward a tree. The strength of the attack was such that on impact she coughed up blood.

"Saber!" Shirou shouted in concern as he ran toward her, just for Leo to stand in his way.

"Don't bother them," he said simply as he pulled on a pair of black gloves.

"Shut up! You forced him to fight her, didn't you!?"

Leo shook his head, surprising Shirou.

"Just like her, Gawain felt her presence nearby and decided to lure her in. Until just a moment ago, I didn't know she was his former king. All of this was his choice alone."

"His… choice…? Don't joke around!" Shirou yelled as he traced his twin blades. "I can feel he doesn't want to do this!"

He rushed at Leo and swung both his blades at high speed, but in Leo's eyes, Shirou seemed to move in slow motion. After all, his body had been modified until reaching its utmost limits, allowing him to survive in that horrible future. Even if his form resembled one, Leo was no longer fully human. He reached out his right hand and grabbed the blade coming at him. He inspected it for a second before breaking it.

Shirou was shocked. The blond had easily stopped his sword and snapped it in two like it was nothing. He didn't even have time to ask, "What?" In the next second, Leo's fist was already hurtling at him. He used his black sword to stop the punch, but it, like the white one, broke easily. But because the blade managed to absorb a great amount of the impact, Shirou only skidded back a couple of feet.

"Not bad." Leo smirked as he ran at the red-haired magus.

Saber wasn't doing any better. She stopped using Invisible Air, opting to parry the silver knight's attacks with Excalibur itself.

"Gawain, something is wrong with you," she said to her old friend, trying to understand the reason for his change.

In that very moment, all of them saw a large green tree surrounded by a purple and black mist rise up in the middle of the city.

"So Dan activated it already," Leo said as he stopped mid-dash.

"Gawain. What is that?" Saber asked.

"That, Arturia, is the Noble Phantasm of the Archer of my faction," he answered as he too paused and looked at the tree.

Truth be told, Gawain was an honorable man who liked to face his opponents head-on, but he was also a soldier. He knew how cruel a war could be and was willing to do whatever was necessary for his king to emerge victorious. That had been the path he followed all his life. He didn't have any aspirations, for he enjoyed just being there supporting his king. He believed the king to be perfect. A king could never be wrong. A king didn't need any emotions.

He rushed at Saber before she could speak again, and instead of using his sword, he kicked her in the stomach before grabbing her hair and flinging her to the other side of the park. By the time she got up, Gawain was already upon her. In less than a second he would cut her down. Then suddenly he stopped and jumped backward to avoid the eight arrows fired at him.

The silver knight turned to see a man clad in red with a young girl at his side.

"Emiya-kun! Saber!" Rin cried the moment she realized they were almost defeated.

Shirou looked over. "Tohsaka, do you know what that tree is doing there?!"

She shook her head. In the meantime, Archer reinforced his eyes and looked at the purple smoke that was slowly seeping from the tree.

"It's emitting poison," he said, clenching his fists. "Rin, we need to get rid of that. I don't know the range, but having a Servant capable of doing this is dangerous."

"But…" She was concerned about the other pair.

Shirou stood up. "Don't worry Tohsaka, leave this to us."

"Interesting. Then please come at me, Master of Saber," Leo taunted with a smile.

"I won't let you go!" Gawain roared as he ran at Archer.

Archer just smirked.

"Sorry, I learned to never stand in her way."

Gawain didn't pay attention to his words until a golden sword stopped his blade.

He looked at Arturia, and he realized her gaze had changed. All the weakness and doubt from before was gone. She seemed once again like the perfect king he used to serve. He was thrown back with ease.

"It seems that you have gone astray. Not only as your former king, but as your uncle, I think I need to fix that."

"It seems you are finally going to fight seriously, Arturia," the knight said, getting up.

Archer looked at her for a second before grabbing Rin and going after the tree.

* * *

In another part of the city, both Atosaki and Edward witnessed the tree's emergence. When they saw the purple smoke, neither one of them could shake the bad feeling coming from it. Atosaki drew with her index finger the letter C with two straight lines, activating then Kenaz rune, allowing her to strengthen her sight and look clearly at the tree. The moment she glimpsed the purple smoke up close, she felt an ominous aura of death.

"What is that?"

"Not sure, but we can't let it be there," Edward said as his eyes turned crimson. "Let's go, Atosaki-san."

She nodded. While they were so focused on the tree, they didn't notice that Pleiades was looking at them from afar. Behind her was a gladiator trapped by pillars of light with an expression full of anger, trying to break out.

Pleiades looked at him and smiled.

"Have fun, Berserker," she said as she disappeared, taking the pillar of lights with her.

Once free, the gladiator roared and jumped toward his target: the Oppressor. Before they could even take a step, Edward stopped and let Saber down on roof of the building.

"Atosaki-san, go ahead. We'll catch up to you later."

"Edward-san?" She didn't understand until she saw Lance tense up and Saber ready her sword.

"Black Seal, 30 % unleashed!"

The very moment his left arm turned into a bright red claw, a gladiator wearing silver armor appeared out of nowhere and with his sword, a gladius, attacked Saber, who barely managed to block the blow.

Edward jumped and created a gigantic spectral arm to punch the Servant in the face, but the Servant didn't move. Seeing this while in mid-air, he turned to Atosaki.

"Just go and destroy the tree! We'll meet you after beating this guy."

Atosaki didn't want to leave. The Servant seemed strong, but she also knew that the tree was dangerous, so she decided to believe in them.

"Please don't die!" she called as Lance picked her up and together they headed off.

Much to her surprise, Berserker didn't care and let them get away. It was as if he went after Edward specifically. But he had attacked Saber first, and then Atosaki realized that she was his real target.

Saber leapt back and landed next to her Master.

"How dare you to attack an emperor!"

The smile Berserker gave them made them shiver.

"Destroy the Oppressor," he stated.

At that phrase, Saber froze. She looked at him carefully and began to have an idea of his true identity.

"Why… from all the enemies of Rome… why did it have to be you?!" She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. "Do not dare call me that in front of my Praetor!"

"Saber!" He tried to stop her, but it was useless.

The red swordswoman jumped at him, her entire being full of rage. The gladiator didn't move. She swung her blade and it sank into his left shoulder. But his expression didn't change, that creepy smile remained unfazed. Saber tried to take out her sword but he had it lodged in his muscles. The next thing she saw was his fist.

She felt pain explode on the right side on her face. She felt herself crash into the ground. She expected another hit, but it never came. Instead, she heard Edward's voice.

"Crimson Inferno!"

Her head was still down and she couldn't see the massive arm and blade wrapped in crimson flames flying at Berserker. Still, the attack didn't do anything to the gladiator since he stopped it with his forearms. It wasn't the same for the roof. Because of the blow, it crumbled and the gladiator crashed into the streets, all the while keeping that same smile.

Edward knew that he would recover in a matter of seconds. He ran to Saber and made sure she was alright. He inspected her cheek, seeing that there was no blood; it was just a rough strike.

"You alright, Nero?" As they were alone, he called her by her real name.

She slowly stood up and looked at him.

"Yes, I am alright."

"Don't be too eager, it doesn't suit you," he said, walking past her to watch the gladiator stand up. "You fight in a graceful form. Going blind with rage isn't something you should do."

Saber looked at his back with eyes wide.

"Sorry… I…"

She felt a hand on her head.

"I already told you, I don't care about your reputation." Edward turned with a smile. "Nero is Nero, there is nothing else."

Before she could answer, a roar broke the moment and the gladiator jumped towards them. Edward created another spectral arm and used it to catapult Saber at him. The gladiator seemed eager to face her, but as a Berserker he didn't notice she had been thrown a little to the left. Before he could react, she cut his right side as she passed by.

Seeing his prey escaping, he turned in midair trying to follow her, not noticing the young man with a crimson arm wrapped in flames. He punched the gladiator on the back of his neck, and that very moment the flames began to wrap around the Servant, and he was engulfed by an explosion that resembled a large ball of fire.

Edward landed next to Saber.

"Blazing Nova," he said as he saw the Servant fall to the ground. "Any chance that was enough to beat him?"

"Really, Praetor?"

"I want this to be easy, so who is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I guess that he is Spartacus the Thracian, who made a revolution with the slaves."

"No wonder he hates you," Edward said in all seriousness as flames began to surround them.

The Servant stood and leered, keeping that horrible smile, ignoring the burnt skin peeling off as he began to move. Pain didn't seem to mean anything to him. He ran toward the pair.

* * *

Atosaki was a little closer to the tree but couldn't shake her worry. She looked up at Lance.

"Do you think they're going to be okay?"

Lance stopped for a second, as if searching for a way to answer her that would be both truthful and reassuring. The fact that he couldn't talk didn't help at all, so he just held her closer. To anyone else it wouldn't make any sense, but she knew him and understood the meaning behind his every action.

"Thanks, Lance. You're right."

* * *

At the same time, Breno continued his match with Kayneth. It might be expected for him to lose, as there were few people able to survive an attack with Volumen Hydrargyrum, but the young man had not only managed to dodge it, but even made Kayneth go on the defensive. It was a strange outcome in terms of pure magical talent. Breno was weaker by far, and his magic didn't seem able to overcome Volumen Hydrargyrum, but the fact remained that he was doing it.

There were two reasons for this, the first obviously that Kayneth had lost his cool, making his control over his Mystic Code sloppy and predictable. Still, the speed and strength of the Mystic Code made up for what he lacked, but then there was the second reason.

Breno's magic was different from Edward's. While the latter controlled his flames at will as if they were part of him, with no logical explanation behind this, the Da Roche family had developed a style that used magical barriers on the former's limbs to manipulate fire.

"Fervor mio sanguis!" Kayneth yelled, not understanding why he couldn't kill him.

Many tentacles came from the silver sphere and hurtled toward Breno, ready to rip him apart. Breno would normally use barriers and Bounded Fields around his limbs, but since his flames wouldn't hurt him, he could also surround himself with them. He wasn't a specialist, so his barriers didn't have enough strength to stop Kayneth's attacks but that was fine. That wasn't their purpose. The barriers were to slow down the tentacles, giving Breno the opportunity to dodge them using his flames as rockets to move faster.

Normally a genius like Kayneth would figure this out because of the delay of the attack, but he was so frustrated that he didn't care.

Breno dodged again and shot a torrent of flames at Kayneth, who blocked it with the sphere of mercury. As Breno continued to look at him, he couldn't help wondering if he had been the same in his world and if it got him killed, letting his emotions get the best of him, losing sight of his enemy and attacking like an idiot.

He dashed at the blond magus and when he put up his defenses, he punched with his arm wrapped in flames. To Kayneth that was an act of stupidity. Volumen Hydrargyrum had a great resistance to magic fire. No matter how much power Breno put in, it was useless, and in the next moment Kayneth would kill him.

But the attack went through and Kayneth fell back. He saw the hole in his shield and felt the pain of a burn on his chest.

"That's why I told you that you were weak. I only needed 500 °C to pass thought that sphere of mercury."

"Why you!" Kayneth yelled, unable to grasp the situation.

It was rather simple. Breno simply changed his flames. Instead of using magic fire, he used magic to create a chemical reaction between oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. Using the very air he created real flames, and then he only needed to adjust the temperature. Mercury would burn at 230 degrees Celsius. Even with all of Kayneth's modifications, it still maintained its physical characteristics, and that was what made it such a deadly weapon, though he only thought of it as protection against other Mystic Codes. That reinforcement made it able to withstand modern weaponry, but he never expected someone to attack its chemical composition.

Breno jumped back, dodging another attack, or so he thought. The tip of the metal whip had managed to cut him in the chest. Using his rage as fuel, Kayneth made it move faster to the point that the barriers couldn't even slow down the attacks.

"How dare you hurt me, trash! I shall make you pay!"

"I hope I wasn't as pathetic as him when I lost myself."

Suddenly a purple smoke began to fill the area, and the moment Breno breathed he began to feel sick and even coughed up some red specks.

The Servants fighting above them noticed almost instantly.

"Poison, such a cowardly act," the green spearman said.

"If a mere peon is trying to poison a king, he doesn't know his place," Rider said, stopping for a second before attacking Lancer of Zero once again with his Khopesh blade.

"This smoke is poisonous, so shouldn't we help our Masters?" the green spearman asked as he blocked his attack.

"Stupid peon, I don't have a master. That human is nothing but a slave at my service."

The two Servants clashed in the middle of the sky before each landed on the tops of two opposing buildings.

"Also, he is not so weak that he would die that easily," the Pharaoh declared with a smirk.

* * *

Kage arrived at the towering tree without yet being affected by the poison thanks to the gas mask he always carried with him. The mask couldn't fully protect him from the poison due to it being part of a Noble Phantasm, but it gave him more time. He still inhaled the poison but in lesser amounts, so its effects were delayed.

A man with black hair and a beard wearing dark French noble garments appeared at his side.

"He is close, Assassin."

The Servant took a couple of pistols from his belt.

"Yes, they are exactly next to us."

A green arrow came at him, broken by a tangible shadow which rose from the ground.

"I found the Servant."

"Eliminate target," Kage replied.

Assassin nodded before vanishing.

Archer of White was a few buildings away, surprised by the fact that Assassin managed to block his arrow, even more so when he saw him disappear. Still, he needed to move, but before he could, the sound of an old musket being fired rang out.

He moved, trying to dodge the screaming bullet, but it hit him in the right shoulder. He endured the pain and turned to shoot an arrow at the black-outfitted Servant, cutting the right side of his face.

"You missed," Assassin said.

"You think so? Archer smirked.

The Servant felt a strange pain coming from his cheek.

"Poison?" he asked, getting only a grin from the bowman as an answer.

In that moment the two disappeared. Even while being a standard Archer, his real identity was Robin Hood. This wouldn't be a direct confrontation, but a fight between snipers, so to speak.

Kage had begun to move the moment Assassin disappeared. All went according to his order, the elimination of target. Nothing else mattered. He wasn't driven by a need to save others, and even when he didn't wish the death of innocents, all he knew was that he saw an enemy threat and needed to get rid of it in order to survive. Saving the people of that area would be a bonus.

The fastest way would be to cross out the Master. He didn't care about how that girl from his faction didn't like killing, since simply put, it made things easier. He felt someone watching him, so he was most likely in the aim of the enemy Master. He stopped, needing to know their location, and there was no better way of finding out than letting the enemy take a shot at him. He acted like he was confused by looking around, believing Dan Blackmore would be in a nearby building, but when he heard the sound of a rifle coming from the tree, he was surprised.

But that wasn't all, the bullet was faster than any other he had seen or used before. It was a fact that he would die if he didn't do something fast.

"Time Alter." That said, the world around him seemed to stop, including the bullet hurtling at him. "Double Accel."

He only accelerated a couple of seconds forward, but it was enough to dodge the bullet and get to the trunk of the poisonous tree. He never expected the bullet to open a hole in the roof where he'd been standing. His expression changed for a second before turning blank again, and he started to climb.

* * *

Ginevra had turned her attention toward the other fights happening all over the city. After getting over her shock, she reassured herself that the King of Heroes wouldn't lose, so she didn't need to worry. She turned her attention to the others.

When she observed the battles of her faction, she found it useless to keep from smiling.

"These Masters are more than I expected," she said, a little excited. "Someone with the abilities of the Magus Killer, a girl using the lost art of runes, a young man wielding the flames of purgatory and another using barriers to control fire. I can't help but want to see what the other two can do."

She then turned to the fight between knights.

"Interesting, I never thought that such a large-scale war between magi could even be possible." A voice surprised her.

She turned.

"Kirsche, I though you said you were going to sleep." She said while offering her a cookie

"There are too many noisy worms outside." She said as she took it.

"It can't be helped, for now let's enjoy the show."

"Let's do that."

* * *

Alright another chapter done the fight began to continue its course the there are so many it really looks at a battle royal. Well I know that breaking volumen hydragyrum with chemistry is debatable but i still think it makes sense. Please review


	11. Chapter 10 The tree

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 10

The blue and silver swordsmen continued to fight each other. This time, the one in blue seemed to have gained the upper hand, but only by a narrow margin.

"Gawain, as a knight, how can you support a plan than involves the death of innocents?"

The knight gave her a puzzled look.

"Being a knight doesn't mean anything in times of war." He pointed a finger at her. "You should know that more than anyone."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the invasion of the barbarians." His words made Saber eyes go wide. "We sacrificed villages so we could make them think we were afraid of facing them. That was your strategy!"

"Gawain… you don't understand." She couldn't believe his words.

"It worked! They believed it and didn't expect our surprise attack," he continued. "You did it all to protect our kingdom, and sometimes in order to do what's best for the majority, a king must sacrifice some people. I understood even when the others didn't. I knew that all your actions were for the sake of our people. That was why I never left your side. This is the same; in order to defeat the enemies of my king, we must make some sacrifices."

"I'm so sorry, Gawain. It seems they were right and I failed to lead you."

"What?"

Gawain didn't understand. She had been a great king, so she had no reason to apologize.

"Gawain, why do you think I was defeated in the battle of Camlann?"

"You were betrayed and I made a mistake when I didn't accept Lancelot's help. In other words, your subjects failed you."

Arturia shook her head in disappointment.

"No Gawain, the fall of our kingdom was my fault, because I failed them."

"Arturia, you were a perfect king in all aspects, so how can you say that?"

"Gawain, something like a perfect king doesn't exist."

Gawain tightened his grip on his sword and ran at Saber, unleashing upon her a barrage of attacks going in many directions, up, down, left, right, all at an incredible speed. Saber still blocked each of them and even counterattacked.

The two separated and each found they had been cut in the shoulder. They rushed at one another, upon passing by gashing their right sides. They ignored the pain and turned for their blades to clash, silver and gold lights trying to consume the other.

Their battle was so fierce that the pressure from this collision alone created a crater around them.

They stood there looking at each other, the silver swordsman driven by the need to fulfill his oath for his king and master while the blue one was driven by the need to make her old friend understand that perfection didn't exist and though searching for it was a good thing, forcing it on others was a mistake.

Finally Arturia managed to push him back. Both knights had used a lot of strength. After all, Gawain had been considered by many the strongest of the Knights of the Round Table. It was a good thing they were fighting at night, as she knew that under the light of the sun he was unbeatable.

On the other side of the battlefield, Leo had been dodging Shirou's flurry of attacks. He'd decided to switch from direct combat to shooting his traced Noble Phantasms at him.

To block them, Leo used a very simple method: instinct. Instantly he knew which of the swords was faster. He dodged most and blocked those remaining with his bare hands, all while enjoying the fight. He felt real interest in Shirou's magic since it was the first he'd seen up close, and it amazed him how it could create so many weapons in a matter of seconds.

"You really are strong!" he said happily as he grabbed one of the swords coming at him and used it to parry the others, closing the distance between them. "But it's not enough."

"I am the bone of my sword," Shirou answered.

Before Leo could touch him, many blades came from underground, slicing into Leo making him roll aside to avoid death.

"I stand corrected. Maybe it is enough."

"Why are you so happy?" Shirou asked, not really understanding his expression.

"Because, you have given me the opportunity to overcome another challenge in becoming a king."

In that moment, two pillars of light appeared in the park.

The two knights faced each other with their strongest weapons.

"Gawain, I will make you see reason!"

"Shut up!"

The two Masters stopped fighting in order to watch the clash between holy swords. This was the only way it could end. They were evenly matched in skill alone, and both knew the style of the other so well that the only way to end the fight was to pit the strongest attack against the strongest attack.

"Ex…"

"Excalibur…"

"...calibur!" Saber of Blue declared as she unleashed a golden beam against her former knight.

"...Galatine!" Gawain yelled, making a horizontal orange slash that erupted into a ball of fire.

* * *

Edward and Saber were continuing their fight against Berserker when they saw a pillar of golden light rise up on the horizon.

"Praetor, that light!"

"Yes, it seems she is here."

They jumped, dodging another one of Berserker's charges.

* * *

Rin and Archer continued their way to the tree when they felt the light shed by Excalibur behind them.

"Those idiots!" Rin exclaimed.

"Rin, we don't have time. Let's keep going," Archer said, not even bothering to turn.

* * *

From afar, Shirou Kotomine viewed the fight.

"The king of knights is a young girl… It seems this world is full of surprises."

Assassin appeared behind him.

"Don't underestimate her, Master."

"Never. To realize my dream, all of them will die."

* * *

The moment the two powers clashed, the outcome was decided. Even though Galatine was her sister sword, Excalibur wouldn't lose, being the strongest of the holy swords.

At least at present. Had the battle happened in daylight, under which the protection of the sun was stronger on Galatine, the outcome would be different. Gawain saw how the golden beam began to overcome his sphere of fire, and when it broke through he would be reduced to ashes.

In a normal fight that would be the outcome, but as the Masters and Servants were so focused on each other, none noticed Caster of Red watching the show.

"No! This story shall not end so soon!" He made a leather-bound tome appear in front of him and prepared to unleash his Noble Phantasm. "Non Sanz Droic!"

First Folio, the story he as William Shakespeare never finished writing, gave him the ability to modify the outcome of any phenomenon to a certain degree. For example, he could save Gawain from being killed by Saber's Excalibur, but he couldn't make Gawain win. But that was just one of its many uses. This time, he used it to make the clash end in a draw.

He wrote on the pages, and instead of consuming Gawain, Excalibur's golden beam consumed itself along with the sphere of fire.

The smoke created by the clash dissipated, and the pair of the Blue Faction couldn't understand how Gawain was still standing. With his work done, Caster of Red took a bow as if saying goodbye to an audience and disappeared.

Leo seemed unfazed and walked to Gawain.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Gawain knelt in front of him.

"Sorry for worrying you, my king."

"It's alright. Let's go, they are too weak to intervene."

Leo began to walk away and before following him, Gawain glared at Saber.

"Wait!" She tried to go after him but fell to her knees, exhausted after using Excalibur.

Shirou wasn't in any better condition. They didn't have a choice but to let them get away.

"Next time, Gawain," said Saber, "I will definitely make you realize your mistake."

Her Master looked at her. "Saber…"

"Shirou, my past self may have accepted his words, but I know I have changed, and I wish the same for my nephew."

Shirou smiled at her.

"Yeah, Saber. You will definitely save him from himself."

* * *

Kage continued to climb the tree. He really wondered how tall it could be, realizing how far away he was from the ground.

In that moment, he heard the sound of a rifle and jumped toward one of the tree branches, a Calico M960 taken from his coat's inner pocket. Once he dodged the bullet coming at him, he shot in the direction from which it came. He waited a few seconds and decided to keep climbing using the branches, under the impression that the enemy was at the top of the tree.

Dan luckily found himself alive. The leaves and branches of the tree had blocked a good portion of the bullets and even the remaining missed him by a few inches. Like Leo, he had suffered modifications to make him a better soldier, but instead of his entire body, he received enhanced eyesight and reflexes, the two abilities a sniper needed. Still, Kage had been right about his location, at the top of the tree, but instead of being on the end of a branch, he had set up a flat surface, giving him ground to shoot to his heart's content.

The fact that the young man in black coming after him was able to dodge his bullets and even shoot back made him respect his abilities. Dan hated all this. He had become a knight after he retired from life as a soldier, expecting to leave behind those days of being a man who would do anything to destroy his enemies. To face his enemies directly instead of hiding in the shadows was, unbeknownst to Dan, also his Servant's wish, even if he never spoke of it.

He kept changing his location and shot at Kage, who continued to dodge using the branches as he had before. It was just a matter of time before Kage reached the platform, but that was fine. Dan just needed to stall for time and let the poison do its job.

As he continue to think this, he realized the young man had disappeared from sight and turned exactly at the right time to see him appear behind him.

"I found you," Kage said simply.

Both pointed their weapons at each other and pulled the trigger. Both found they had run out of bullets. Before Kage could switch to the dual pistols he had in his belt, Dan ran at him with a rapier and thrust it out.

Kage barely dodged the blade, moving to the left, and saw it pass directly in front of him. Before the second strike, he slid down the knives hidden in his sleeves to block the attack. The fight between two Masters began.

* * *

Atosaki arrived at the base of the tree and, with her sight strengthened by Kenaz, saw two people fighting on its top, immediately recognizing one.

"Kage-san!"

"Who are you?!" A voice she recognized very well rang in her ears.

She turned to see Rin looking at her suspiciously, guard up, along with a man clad in red. Even though they seemed different, they couldn't be any more familiar.

"Rin! And… Shiro?!" She ran over and hugged them before they could react. "It's so good to see you two!"

The pair was taken by surprise by the gesture, and while Archer didn't mind, Rin couldn't control her embarrassment. She pushed her off while blushing.

"What are you doing?!" Then she turned to Atosaki's blue-haired Servant. "Is that… Lancer?!"

Atosaki remembered that this wasn't the Rin she knew, it wasn't Shiro, and that even when seeing them again made her feel better she couldn't delude herself.

"Ah, right. I'm Atosaki… Atosaki Kurokawa," she said with a smile. "Sorry about that. You just reminded me of someone I know."

"My name is Rin Tohsaka. I'm here to destroy that tree, so will you get in my way?"

"No, but don't worry. A friend is fighting up there with the enemy."

"How can…"

"She is right, Rin," said Archer.

Atosaki suddenly coughed up some red droplets, the poison beginning to affect her. Because of her healing abilities, the effect had been delayed.

"Alright, Atosaki, we'll do this later. Let's help your friend before we're all dead."

Atosaki just nodded and before they took a step, an ominous aura manifested behind them. Both Lance and Archer sensed a presence that made them shiver.

A black-armored swordswoman surrounded by a dark aura emerged with such a killing intent that they knew a fight was unavoidable. Atosaki identified her as the Saber of her world, but she seemed stronger this time, completely focused and lethal. The two Servants stood in front of their Masters as the Saber remained silent, making the group feel more serious.

"Rin, take that girl with you. We will take care of the Servant."

"Archer…"

"Lance!" Atosaki yelled, interrupting Rin.

He had dashed at the black swordswoman and thrust his spear at her heart. She blocked it, but it didn't matter. The strength behind the strike was enough to send the two of them into another building. Seeing this, Archer ran after them.

"Let's go!" Rin yelled, knowing there was no time to lose.

They were interrupted once again by a person they knew very well.

"Greetings, young ladies."

The moment Rin turned and saw the owner of that voice, her eyes widened in shock.

"Ki…Kirei?!"

"Rin Tohsaka, the daughter of the Master?" Kirei asked, not understanding how the girl he met a couple of years ago had grown up and stood before him as a Master herself.

The same thought came from Rin. She was seeing the young Kirei Kotomine, the one she had met in the last War, when she was just a child.

The first to get over the shock was Kirei. He took out his Black Keys and got ready to fight.

"Wait! We need to get rid of that smoke! If not, we will all die," Atosaki pleaded.

"I don't care. I can kill you two and then leave the area before that happens."

"You're the same as always, aren't you, you fake priest," said Rin, soon realizing that the protection of the jewel she had swallowed would fade in a few moments.

As Kirei ran at the two girls, a fist collided with his right cheek, taking him by surprise and sending him flying a couple of meters.

"Attacking a woman? Some people don't have any shame," Leo Wells said, entering the scene.

"Leo-san!" Atosaki cried happily. "Where is Kousuke-san?"

"Who knows," he said, throwing Kyrph's container at her. "Take this, that bastard Kage is fighting up top. We've got to get him off there before destroying the tree."

Rin didn't understand until Atosaki threw the gem down on the floor. Crimson flames erupted and from them came a white lion.

"Come on, Rin-san," Atosaki said as she patted Kyrph on the head and hopped on.

Rin sighed and went with her.

As the two girls began to fly to where Kage was fighting, Leo smirked and looked at the priest.

"You bring shame to the name of God, 'Father.'"

Kirei didn't say anything as he took the golden cross at his chest and kissed it with a smile. He drew out his Black Keys and took a posture Leo didn't know at all.

Kirei moved and in less than a second crossed the gap between the two, hitting Leo in the chest with enough strength to destroy his heart. The blow sent Leo skidding across the way. Kirei looked at him without a care, as he knew the boy should be dead. He walked over, wanting to see his face in his last moments.

That was a mistake. The moment he came close enough, Leo's legs wrapped around his and made him lose his balance for just a second, but that was all he needed. Leo rapidly stood up and punched the priest with everything he had. The priest tried to block it with his left forearm, but it was futile. The attack passed through his defenses and sent him flying.

"That hurt, you bastard!" Leo said as he coughed up some blood and breathed heavily.

Everything came with a price, in this case mana. To heal a cut or a broken bone was easy, but for a destroyed heart in a matter of seconds he needed to use more energy. He probably wouldn't be able to heal his heart that fast again, so he couldn't afford to receive a second fatal strike.

"So, a priest using Chinese kenpo. Just how bizarre can you be?"

Kirei just stood up, not answering Leo, wiping the blood coming from his mouth and spitting out a tooth. Leo smirked, though surprised. The last blow should have broken his arm, and he was still moving.

* * *

At the top of the tree, the two Masters continued their fight to the death. Kage was genuinely astonished. The old soldier moved so fast that no one would see him as that, and he could only shiver imagining him at his peak. They had been fighting only for a few minutes and he had many cuts all over his body. The old man was smart. His first swing was aimed at Kage's gas mask, and now, without it, he was at the mercy of the poison.

"You are strong, young man, but tell me, why do you fight?" Dan asked him.

"You look really calm for being in a death match."

"Because I know I will win, boy. I'm not so old to lose to some youngster."

Kage blocked another blow and kicked Dan in the gut, making him retreat a few steps.

"I fight for simple reasons: survival and stopping this damn war," he said, voice emotionless.

Dan didn't attack and just observed him.

"I can't believe magi used to be so simple."

"And I used to think soldiers were more than murderers."

"Don't talk about what you don't know. I seek to meet a person dear to me, someone I failed to protect, the only one who could bring peace to my soul."

"So that's why you're willing to kill people using poison? How noble!" he exclaimed.

At this stab, Dan ran at him, aiming to end his life. Kage couldn't deny the old man was fast, he could barely keep up. The poison had begun to affect him and Gaia sought retribution for accelerating. He could barely endure the pain he felt in addition to dodging and blocking Dan's lunges.

"I hate people who don't understand the real meaning of life," Dan stated blatantly as he sent another strike against Kage.

"I don't have a choice," he said, parrying Dan's last swipe. "Time Alter, Double Accel."

Kage disappeared from Dan's sight and moved behind him, pointing the knife in his left hand at back of the old man's head.

"And I hate people who use others as an excuse for their actions."

It was a shame he couldn't stop time, his magic only allowed him to move faster than everything else. Normally that would suffice to end any person's life, but in this case, against a soldier whose reflexes had been enhanced, it wasn't enough.

As the knife was about to pierce its target, Dan sidestepped. The attack still left him with a deep cut on the left side of his neck.

Kage moved to finish the old man, but the moment he walked forward, he felt a sharp pain coming from his left side and realized before falling to his knees that Dan had stabbed him with the rapier.

He was found in that state by Atosaki and Rin when they reached the top of the tree.

"Kage-san!" Atosaki yelled, worried to see him sitting in a pool of blood, and then looked at the old man lying on the floor. "W… what did you do?!"

Kage didn't answer and just tried to stand, but the wound was deep and she didn't seem willing to help him until he said something.

"He's not dead," he managed to tell her.

Atosaki placed her hands on Kage's side and healed him enough so he could move. When she turned to Dan, the old soldier was already standing, much to their surprise. Blood dripped from his wound and his green suit had turned crimson. He was breathing heavily and as he looked around, he realized he was at a disadvantage.

He smiled to himself and jumped from the tree, much to Atosaki and Rin's horror. When they went to see what happened to him, they found he had disappeared. Still, the tree remained, so they couldn't keep looking for him.

* * *

Breno was about to die, though not alone. At least Kayneth was at his limit, the poison affecting him too. But the poison was decreasing his time of reaction as well, so he wasn't able to keep dodging the attacks of Volumen Hydrargyrum. The best he could do was to make sure they wouldn't be fatal. His entire body was covered in blood. He could barely breathe, and he realized that he could withstand at best two more attacks, one if he wanted to counter attack.

Even intoxicated, Kayneth insisted on killing him, while anyone else would leave the area after wounding him and leave the poison to do the rest.

"Now you know your place."

Breno couldn't understand him very well, his vision was fading, but he wouldn't lose. He wouldn't because he had grown from his past defeats. He wouldn't lose again.

He shot a torrent of flames towards Kayneth, who in his arrogance didn't try to dodge, deciding to block it with his Mystic Code because he knew Breno needed to get closer to use stronger natural flames.

It was true, real fire wouldn't have much reach in that space full of poison, so he needed to use magic fire in order to fight. The attack was deflected, but in there lay another one of Kayneth's weakness. Volumen Hydrargyrum had an absolute defense, but only because it adapted to the type of attack. If a second, stronger attack came the moment it blocked the first, it was actually possible to break through.

Breno only had enough strength for one last shot, so he needed to make it count. He used flames to dash at Kayneth. After the first pillar of flames was deflected, he punched with everything he had and got through, breaking the sphere of mercury. He had to admit, seeing that face full of shock was priceless. He grabbed both of Kayneth's arms and set them alight. The heir of the Archibalds had lost his Command Seals.

Kayneth yelled in pain as he stepped back, seeing his flesh burn. Hearing his screams, Lancer of Zero moved to his side and took him to safety. Breno finally passed out.

Rider saw him collapse and decided to let Lancer get away. After all, without a Master, he would disappear. He looked at his Master and smirked.

"You did well. For a peon, that is," he said as he lifted him up and decided to leave the area. Even as a Servant, he was beginning to be affected by the poison.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Berserker of Red was standing in a very hideous state, with cuts and burns all over his body and his left arm barely attached.

"Why won't this guy die?"

It was hard to keep fighting him without destroying the nearby houses, and because of that, Edward and Saber couldn't go all out, and against a Berserker like this it only meant doom.

Their attacks, even though they seemed to do damage, weren't working. He continued to move as if nothing had happened, and after each strike his attacks seemed stronger, as if each wound only powered him up. The worst part was that all his attacks were directed at Saber. He ignored the Master, probably because in his mind the only goal was to kill the oppressor.

He ran at them like a mad dog. Edward tried to stop him with a spectral arm, but Berserker smashed through it and punched him in the side, making him crash into one of the house's walls.

"Praetor!"

She couldn't worry too much about him, since the next moment she had her crimson blade raised to stop the gladiator's fist. It was heavy, forcing her to use all her strength just to stop it. The surface beneath her feet cracked and she felt herself sink.

Her Master then came to her aid. A crimson chain was wrapped around Berserker's neck and brought him to a halt. Edward appeared behind him and grabbed his head, smashing it against the ground. But this only stopped him for a second. He immediately stood up and, taking advantage of Edward being on his back, jumped into the air and fell backward, slamming Edward down. He got up with a smile.

Saber looked at her Master lying there and anger filled her entirely.

"You bastard!" She raised her sword, wrapping it in flames, and drew a circle in front of her.

"Fax Caelis!" she yelled as she thrust her sword into Berserker's chest at amazing speed, not giving the gladiator any time to react.

She passed the gladiator, grabbed her Master and ran a few steps before the gladiator was engulfed in flames.

"I won't forgive anyone who hurts him."

"So you got him?" Edward asked weakly, looking at the pillar of fire behind them.

"I don't know."

A roar was heard, and they knew he wasn't dead.

"Then I don't have a choice," he said as he stood on his own. "Black Seal…"

Saber grabbed his hand with worry.

"Please don't, we don't need to use it yet."

Berserker came from the flames with his usual smile as if nothing had happened. Instead of looking at Saber, he looked at her Master.

"Why do you protect the Oppressor?"

"She is important to me!"

"The Oppressor is evil," he said, not hearing his answer. "The oppressor must die for the oppressed to be happy."

"She is evil?!" Flames began to surround him. "Don't talk as if you know anything about her! Black Seal 40% Unleashed!"

His hair turned crimson and the head of a red-furred dog appeared on his left shoulder.

"Come, I will send you back to Hell!"

Berserker just smiled and ran at them, only to be stopped by a golden lightning bolt that struck him with such power that he was knocked away.

"Raikōhō," said a voice they knew well.

The pair turned and saw Kousuke approaching along with Caster.

"It seemed you needed help," Kousuke greeted with a smile.

"What took you so long?" Saber complained.

"So rude! Goshujin-sama and I came to help such a useless Saber as you."

"What did you just say?"

The Masters didn't try to stop them.

"Thanks for coming," said Edward.

"Don't worry. Nice hair by the way."

"Well, it comes with the arm," he replied, showing his matching crimson claw.

A roar stopped all conversation and they turned to Berserker, who continued talking about killing the oppressor. Kousuke drew his sword and Edward created two crimson blades in his hands, and so the battle continued.

* * *

Note from Editor: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The new Unlimited Blade Works series also aired today, making me even happier. ^^ If you haven't seen it already, please consider watching! It's absolutely amazing. Anyway, thanks for your viewership. o w o)/

The battles continue new begin and others end, well sorry for the gawain fans but you all know that he cant win at night against Saber and well I really need to Thank Deus Silences and the other authors who lend me their OC. So before i go and watch the new fate series Please review!


	12. Chapter 11 Gods and Humans

Chapter 11 Gods and Humans

Archer of Red couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. The battle before her went beyond anything she had ever seen. At the beginning, she expected Aldebaran to defeat the King of Heroes, as Pleiades said that it should be easy taking advantage of him never fighting seriously.

But they didn't take into account the hate the golden Servant felt toward the Counter Guardians and the gods.

The two fighters slowly destroyed each other without mercy. Gilgamesh's golden armor was now nothing but scrap metal. He had fist-shaped imprints on his skin and blood dripping from his mouth. Normally he would be complaining about a mere mongrel pushing him so far, but not this time. This wasn't a fight between two men; it was a fight between a king and the world, and the world wouldn't give up that easily. This much struggle was expected.

On the other hand, the butler was smiling crazily. It had been ages since he had such an opportunity and so much fun. He really missed being an actor instead of just a spectator. He didn't care he had cuts all over his body, that his white shirt had turned crimson with his own blood. He wanted to congratulate the Servant and a small part of him wanted to stop now, as it would be a shame to kill a person who had given him so much fun, but he knew that the moment he did that, he would die.

Instead, he rushed at the golden Servant. Twelve weapons came at him in the blink of an eye. He rolled to one side, dodging the first two and then using his power to reduce his gravity, eluded another three coming at him. Flying into the middle of the sky, he brought his hand down at another four of the weapons coming at him, and a strange, invisible force buried them into the roof.

"Gravitas!" he said as he landed and continued on.

Just three remaining, one being a spear and the other two golden swords. They were too fast, and the best he could do was to avoid a fatal blow. One of the blades cut him in the shoulder, the spear buried into his right side and the last one cut his leg. He could withstand the pain and prepared to strike his opponent, but when he was almost there he found he couldn't move. Chains surrounded his entire body.

"Heavenly Chains, Enkidu," the King of Heroes declared.

The moment the butler was captured by the chains, the outcome was decided. He was an agent of the world, therefore recognized as a being with divinity. In other words, he wouldn't be able to escape the chains no matter what. After all, it was a chain that was designed to hold gods. But Aldebaran was very calm, even smiling, a smile that the King of Heroes wanted to rip off his face.

Many portals appeared behind the golden Servant, prepared to impale Aldebaran.

"Die mongrel," he said simply, as a horde of Noble Phantasms came from the portals.

"Gravity Bind!" Aldebaran yelled out.

Gilgamesh suddenly fell, slammed into the roof of the building. It began to break, and before sinking into its surface, he glared at the butler who had freed himself, since the moment he was slammed down by gravity, he'd lost focus and control of the chains.

"You bastard!"

"Rest well in this grave I created for you, King of Heroes."

Aldebaran raised his hands and lowered them, sealing the Servant's fate. The gravity over Gilgamesh became stronger. The roof broke, and so did the floors in the lower levels. Aldebaran floated with his ability and saw how the building collapsed on the King of Heroes. He would be never be able to leave, buried meters underground and held there. The King of Heroes had been defeated.

* * *

On the other side of the city, the clash of steel could be heard. Kousuke, Saber and Edward continued their fight against Berserker of Red while Caster decided to support.

Berserker had changed his way of fighting. He didn't focus just on Saber and wanted to kill them all. This was because he had recognized the other three as supporters of the Oppressor. Even against four opponents, they could not gain the upper hand. No matter how they hit him, the Servant didn't die.

"Saber, use it!" Edward said with a heavy sigh.

"But Praetor! To use my Noble Phantasm in such…"

She didn't get to finish because Spartacus rushed at them.

Her Master shot out a barrage of flames in order to stop him, but it only delayed him by a few seconds. Using that chance, Kousuke swung his blade, cutting the Servant's eyes and leaving him momentarily blind. Before the giant could smack him, blinded but guided by his instincts, he pointed two fingers.

"Rikujou Koro!" he said as six thin but wide rays of light slammed into Berserker's mid-section, preventing him from moving. "Now, Caster!"

Caster nodded and made a sword appear over her head. It swung in a circular motion, creating hundreds of similar blades along the way, all pointed at Berserker.

"Benihiko!" she yelled as they flew and buried themselves deep into Berserker's body.

Still the Servant continued to struggle, trying to break from Kousuke's binds. Caster looked at Saber.

"Hey useless Saber, I don't know if you have a way to beat him, but if you don't do somethung soon, our Masters are going to die!" she snapped.

Saber wanted to yell back at her, but she knew Caster was right. Even when it seemed they didn't get along, they were very similar. They had found people who could really understand them, a special someone who would do everything they could to protect them. They were two Servants who had fallen for their Masters.

Saber thrust her sword into the ground and raised her arms.

"Behold my glory.

"Hear my thunderous applause.

"Sit down and praise.

"My Golden Theater! Kingdom of Heaven and Hell.

"My heaven, reconstructed! This is where the limelight shines!

"Aestus Domus Aurea!"

She swung her blade three times before all present were engulfed by deep crimson light. Edward couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since he had seen her in all her glory.

Kousuke and Caster didn't know how to react. The moment they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing inside a golden theater with a crimson carpet and curtains. Berserker was on the other side of the theater and in the middle was Saber, as if before an audience. Her Master was behind her, ready to go against the giant.

He turned to them with a smirk.

"No more holding back," he said as a huge spectral arm manifested at his side and smashed into Berserker.

Kousuke's eyes turned bright red, with three black mitsudomoe encircling the pupils. Those were the mystic eyes of his family, Mystic Eyes of Empowerment. With them his abilities increased tenfold.

Berserker pushed Edward's arm back, but Kousuke was already in front of him and about to cut him down.

"Yamagi-Ryu Kenjutsu…" He slashed him a dozen times with such precision that the afterimage of the sword swing made it look as if he had drawn a white lotus. "…Byakuren."

He saw Berserker's fist coming at him, but in that moment Saber appeared behind the giant along with her Master, their blades wrapped in flames. He understood that he needed to create some distance.

"Crimson Inferno!"

"Fax Caelis!"

He heard Edward and Saber call their attacks as he jumped back. A large explosion of flames engulfed the gladiator.

Caster saw all this and understood how Saber's Noble Phantasm worked. This wasn't a Reality Marble. It was similar, but she couldn't create one since she wasn't a magus. This was a space created by her big ego, an absolute imperial zone in which she could do just about anything. Caster needed to admit that here, Saber was at least ten times stronger, as this was a place where all her wishes could come true, and she couldn't help but wonder what kind of person her Master was to stand beside someone like her as an equal.

The flames died the moment Saber and her Master landed next to Caster, and she saw the gladiator for the first time fall to his knees and stop. She looked at the others, who all seemed tired. She needed to finish this once and for all. She closed her eyes and a second tail, and then a third appeared behind her.

"Yoshitsune Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," she said, opening her eyes, and thousands of cherry blossom petals appeared around the theater.

The petals began to surround her and she seemed serious.

"Gokei."

The petals then began to surround the gladiator. He struggled, punching them and cutting them with his gladius, but nothing happened.

Eventually he was trapped in a sphere that slowly closed around him, but then Caster felt some resistance. It was weird and seemed little like gladiator they had been fighting. A pillar of light erupted from the sphere, shocking everyone.

From it came a beautiful woman with long blonde hair wearing golden Norse Valkyrie armor, dragging the bloody body of the Thracian.

"Sorry for the intermission, but I have this Servant under my care and I can't let you kill him."

"What do you mean? Who are you, witch?!" Saber yelled.

"I am the Counter Guardian Pleiades, the Supervisor of the Red Faction."

In the following moment, the four of them felt a pressure coming from the woman, a power they didn't expect the Counter Guardians to have.

"You see, during a fight, the Master of this one died. Apparently he drained too much mana," she lied.

"That doesn't change anything," Kousuke said, trying to understand how she had broken Caster's Senbonzakura.

"I know," she said happily. "I just need an excuse to kill you so Antares-chan won't get mad."

She disappeared and reappeared in front of Edward.

"So please die quickly," she said before kicking him squarely in the face.

It all happened so fast that no one could react. She moved as fast as light. By the time Saber began to speak, her Master had already crashed into one of the theater walls.

"Praetor!" She tried to cut the woman in front of her, but she vanished.

This time she showed up at Kousuke's side and raised her leg to kick him. He realized he was being attacked only at the moment he felt her foot connect with his stomach.

"Goshujin-sama," yelled a worried Caster.

Pleiades disappeared once again and appeared between the two Servants. Before they could attack her, she pointed her two index fingers at them and shot yellow beams of energy, blowing them away.

She just smiled and returned to Berserker. She couldn't let Shirou lose him so early since he was a very valuable asset. She began to wonder how to leave this place. It should disappear, as she defeated the ones using it.

"…Wait." She heard a voice behind her.

Pleiades turned and saw Kousuke using his katana to stand, along with Edward and their Servants. She just shook her head and sighed.

"I guess I will need to use more power." She began to glow. "Final Elysium!"

Everything was consumed by light.

* * *

Near the tree, both Rin and Atosaki were startled when they saw a beam of energy shoot up in the middle of the city. Rin felt a shiver. She didn't know of any Servant beside Saber who could create such a thing. On the other hand, Atosaki got a bad feeling, one she couldn't understand until she remembered that it came from the same place where she'd left Edward and Saber against Berserker.

"Edward-san," she whispered, not wanting anyone else to die.

Kirei and Leo continued to fight each other. The priest was really impressed that a young man could fight on par with him. Even when Leo didn't have a distinct style, his moves were unpredictable. He could barely avoid some of the attacks he threw. He still couldn't feel his arm from the last blow.

Kirei lunged at him again and punched him with his bad arm, as he knew Leo would use the chance to counterattack and it would give him a good opportunity. However, that never came to be.

Leo grabbed his arm and dislocated it. Kirei ignored the pain and kicked him in the stomach and then head-butted his forehead.

The two separated. Kirei didn't understand why he had done something like that.

"Now you can't use that arm," Leo said with a smile as blood dripped down his face.

Kirei was ready to go at him again when the voice of his Servant, Assassin, rang through his head.

"Kirei-sama, we have retrieved Lancer's Master and found his opponent. Please return, Lancer's Master is in critical condition."

Kirei sighed and popped his arm back into place, surprising Leo the way he could do it without feeling any pain, and then began to walk away.

"Wait, this isn't over, you fake priest!" Leo yelled at him.

Kirei looked at him for a second before jumping from the building and disappearing on the night. Leo was about to follow when Atosaki's voice made him turn. He saw the stream of light and his eyes widened.

The girls landed near him with Kage, who was in pretty bad shape.

"There, we got your friend!" said Rin. "Now how are we going to destroy that tree without our Servants? We need a Servant to destroy a Noble Phantasm."

She made a good point.

Leo didn't say anything at first. He gestured, and the next moment his Archer appeared.

"So, your brawl finished already?"

"Shut it, Archer."

"Alright, Leo, what do you need? You told me not to do anything."

"You really are a relaxed person."

"I like to enjoy any free time."

Leo wanted to smack his Servant sometimes. Who would have thought that the famed Odysseus could be like that, but he wasn't so bad.

"Just help us destroy that tree."

Archer simply nodded and took a small pouch from his belt, one of his deadliest weapons.

"You know that after this time, I can only use three more right?"

"Can't be helped. Even I can't withstand such potent poison."

Archer sighed and opened the pouch, at the same moment reciting its name.

"Aeolus, Bag of the Four Winds."

From it came a gigantic tornado which ripped the tree to shreds. At the same time it dispersed the poison.

Atosaki was about to go to the lower floors of the building they were on when she was stopped by Kage.

"Don't bother, this building was empty."

Shock filled the faces of those present. Atosaki's heart filled with relief.

"That old man, for such a tough fighter, was too soft."

The tree was gone and the fight of the night was almost over, but Atosaki still worried. Even when she didn't know why, there were good reasons for it.

* * *

Kirsche couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only had the King of Heroes been defeated, but another one of the Counter Guardians had directly attacked, destroying Saber's Noble Phantasm and a couple of buildings in the area.

"Those idiots…! I told them to run if they encountered a Counter Guardian," Kirsche said, angry.

Ginevra was silent, calmly confident that the King of Heroes would rebound. As for the others, if they died, then that was too bad. Not that she truly worried; Counter Guardians were an overrated lot, otherwise the Aylesbury Valesti would have been destroyed even before it began. Still, their abilities were interesting, if nothing else.

Aldebaran: the gravity.

Pleiades: the light and, unknown to most, electromagnetism.

She hadn't met Antares, but Ruler told her to be cautious of him, leaving her wondering about what abilities the man might have. Perhaps, she thought, she ought to set up a Dead Apostle Territorial Field just in case.

And then Ginevra saw the smoke created by Pleiades' attack clear. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the state of the two Masters. Edward was lying on the ground, his arm turned back to normal. Kousuke had half of his kimono destroyed. They weren't terribly hurt, but the Servants seemed to be in a very bad situation. They were positioned in front of their Masters, protecting them. The two girls were covered in blood and burns from the last attack, and they remained standing for a couple of seconds before falling down.

Kirsche prepared to leave. She didn't want to lose two Masters and Servants in her faction so soon.

"Wait!" Ginevra stopped her.

Kirsche turned and looked at the water mirror and couldn't believe it.

Pleiades looked around. She had created a little destruction, but she didn't care. She made a few pillars of light around Berserker of Red, and the giant disappeared.

Edward opened his eyes and what he saw horrified him. Saber was lying sprawled out in a pool of blood.

"Saber!" he yelled, ignoring his own pain.

"Caster!" Kousuke also called.

Neither of them received a response from the Servants, and they were afraid they would eventually disappear.

Edward surrounded his hand with fire and put it on Saber's back. Eventually her wounds began to heal. As flames could be considered part of life, his also possessed some regenerative abilities, which explained why he was able to endure so much pain. He couldn't completely heal Saber, so he just closed her wounds and let her own regeneration take care of the rest. Edward stood up and did the same with Caster.

He looked at Kousuke and helped him stand. There was only one thought on their minds: make Pleiades pay.

The Valkyrie turned, surprised when she found the two Masters standing.

"Oh? You two seem tough. It's a shame to kill you."

Edward changed his arm into its claw form and Kousuke pointed his blade at her.

"Come, dog of Alaya!" the two said in unison.

She rushed at them with a smile on her face and just like inside that theater she hit them at the speed of light. They couldn't react at all.

Pleiades continued to play with them. Their desperate attacks couldn't reach her, but she didn't understand how they could keep getting up. Not matter how many times she knocked them down, they still stood against her.

"Stupid humans! Know your place!" she snapped.

She shot a beam at each of them. Edward created a shield of fire and Kousuke used his swords to block it. That wasn't enough, and they were consumed by light.

The two fell to the floor.

"Why are you fighting us?" Edward asked.

"For fun," she said with a smile. "You see, you humans are nothing but trash. The world gives you all this freedom, but you only bring destruction to it. You killed this world slowly, but surely it was just a matter of time before it fought back. So I'm going to take out the pests, just like you kill flies."

Neither of the two Masters could understand her reasoning and tried to stand again, but it was futile. On her side, Pleiades thought of an excuse so Antares wouldn't get mad and kill her. She needed to make it look like they had attacked her and she didn't have any other choice but to fight back.

She needed more destruction. She pointed a finger at one of the houses and smiled. The two Masters realized her intentions as they watched her fingertip start to glow.

"St… stop!" they yelled.

She didn't stop. The beam was fired and the house was destroyed along with its inhabitants. After that one, after another, she continued to shoot.

"Stop it! You're killing innocents!" Kousuke screamed.

She finally stopped for a moment and looked at them with a smile.

"I said I don't care. You humans are just trash."

* * *

Lance and Archer couldn't believe that, even being two on one, they couldn't beat the black swordswoman.

The roof was completely destroyed, and the two Servants had been pushed to the edge. Lance could finish her with Gáe Bolg, but she didn't even give him an opening. The moment he tried to use his Noble Phantasm, she would cut him down.

Archer recognized her as another version of Arturia, just like the spearman at his side was another of the Lancer he knew, but this darkened, alternate form was much stronger by far.

The two rushed at her from different directions and attacked her at the same time. She used her black blade to block Lance's spear, recognizing it as a threat, but didn't think the same of Archer and the projectiles he shot at her.

The knight dodged them perfectly and closed the distance between her and Archer, about to slice him when a crimson spear swung at her face. She ducked and kicked Lance away without even looking at him.

The attack had only delayed her, but that delay was all Archer needed.

"I am the bone of my sword," he recited, and a rain of blades came pouring down.

She couldn't dodge them, and they made a direct hit. The two Servants stood next to each other, breathing heavily, getting ready for the moment she stood up. She did, with cuts all over her armor, and seemed fine overall.

She was about to continue her attack when a pillar of flames was seen behind them.

"What is that?" Archer asked, unable to believe his eyes.

* * *

Aldebaran stood proudly over the grave of the King of Heroes. He really wished to see his face after such humiliation, but it couldn't be helped.

Suddenly, the chains that had earlier confined him came from the rubble and pierced his stomach. The butler fell to his knees and saw the rubble shift, and the King of Heroes emerged from it with his very own chain wrapped around him.

"H… How?!" Aldebaran asked, not believing the image in front of him.

It was quite simple. Gilgamesh had anchored one side of the chain to his vault. Since his vault was infinite, so no matter how many times his gravity increased, it could still pull him.

"Thanks, Enkidu," he said in a whisper before looking at the butler. "Figure that out for yourself, mongrel!"

"Why? Why, when you have such power, did you choose humanity over the gods?!"

Gilgamesh laughed as he never had before.

"Aldebaran, you think humans are weak?" he asked, looking at him with a smile. "You, Gaia, and the gods believe that because you are immortal, you are superior, but you couldn't be any farther from the truth. You all fear humans because we have such short lives. All the moments we live are unique and precious. We have the potential to overcome any hardship. Humans are foolish, more so than any other kind, they are self-destructive and hate more than anyone. But they also love more than anyone and they don't need gods. The gods from my time have already died and disappeared, but humanity continues."

Enkidu wrapped itself around the butler at the very moment a pillar of flames appeared in the distance. Gilgamesh recognize those powers as powers coming from his time. He felt the strength of the mighty hound that protected hell, Cerberus, and the rage of the invincible demon, the Oni.

"Look at this, mongrel. This is the power of humans."

* * *

Pleiades felt a shiver run down her spine. She turned and saw the two Masters she had defeated standing once again.

"You are strong, Pleiades," Kousuke said, throwing his swords to one side.

"But then why are you using that power to take from humans?" Edward asked, his eyes turning crimson.

Pleiades felt fear for the first time in a very long while.

"You shouldn't exist. Pests like you shouldn't challenge the world!"

"Pests like us?" Edward asked.

"We shouldn't exist?" Kousuke continued.

"Don't joke around!" the two said.

The two Masters looked back at their unconscious Servants, who would get mad if they knew about what was about to happen. They next looked at the destruction, at the dead, and how the person in front of them needed to pay.

"Let's do this. Avenger, Black Seal…"

"Release the self-imposed restriction…"

"50% release…"

"2nd level 50%..."

"Dirge of Cerberus!"

"Crimson Red Vermillion!"

A scarlet mist began to surround Kousuke as his eyes and hair turned a slight shade of red and steam began to rise from his body. Eventually the mist condensed and turned into a crimson aura that encompassed his entire being.

On the other hand, black and red flames surrounded Edward. A crimson circle appeared on his left hand, a black one on his right. Both his arms turned into claws, each with the head of a hound on the shoulder in a corresponding color, as his hair turned blood-red.

Ginevra laughed as she and Kirsche watched the tide of the battle turn, gleefully applauding the words spoken by the two fighters.

"Don't look down on humans!"

* * *

Another chapter done, the fight end in the next chapter an i should end this season in 3 or 4 more chapters- I know gilgamesh is a little oc but he really preferes human before gods.


	13. Chapter 12 Pleaiades

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 12

Dan couldn't see anything. What he remembered last was jumping from the tree and falling to the ground. He didn't want to admit it, but he had lost. The young man dealt a dangerous blow on him, and even when he'd done the same, he knew he didn't have much time left.

He opened his eyes and found himself floating through the sky. Not at a leisurely pace, he was moving at great speed, too tired to even try to figure out how. He was about to close his eyes once again when he landed near a building. It took him a few moments, but he recognized it as the mansion of his faction.

He raised his head and found a smiling Leonardo along with his brother Julius.

"Good to know both of you survived," Leo said.

Dan looked back and found his Archer standing there too with a couple of bullet holes in his clothes.

"Archer…"

"You worried, boss? Don't be. I must admit, that Assassin was a tough bastard. First time I found a person I couldn't kill."

Archer tried to sound fine, but everyone could see he was barely able to stand. Besides the first shot in his shoulder, he had another two in his stomach. It was a miracle that he had gotten away and managed to hang on this long. Truth be told, he was really surprised by the Assassin's accuracy. Even his shots weren't as precise. It was like no matter, what he wouldn't miss.

Leo helped Dan stand and took him into the mansion.

"Also, don't worry about the tree. After all, this was just a test to see how it worked, and we got valuable information. Good job Sir Blackmore."

* * *

Aldebaran looked at Gilgamesh, not believing his words. He'd always seen humans as a mere source of amusement, and no matter what he refused to recognize them as anything more than what he believed them to be his entire life.

The chains lifted him into the sky and beneath him hundreds of golden portals were opened. He saw Gilgamesh smile.

"I told I would enjoy this, mongrel."

He began to shoot his treasures at him. The first four cut his limbs, one by one, as he expected. The next ones went through him. A continued barrage of Noble Phantasms pierced his form again and again.

Aldebaran felt his body being destroyed, how slowly it turned into a piece of dead meat. Still, his last thoughts lay somewhere else. He began to understand why Situla showed so much interest in humans. Real interest, he was the only one among them who hadn't lost faith in humanity. As he closed his eyes, he started wondering.

Were humans really that strong, he thought. It was a shame he wouldn't find out for himself.

Gilgamesh continued to fire until nothing remained of the Counter Guardian. Once Aldebaran's power faded and he was able to stand on his own, Gilgamesh looked at the coat of the butler that remained in the rubble and placed some rocks over it, as if forming a grave. Even as a person he despised, Aldebaran had given him a good battle, so this was a sign of honor towards an enemy worthy of his respect.

He turned and went on watching the explosions in the sky. He didn't know who they made them and he didn't care, as he could feel they wouldn't lose. A predictable fight was boring, so Gilgamesh decided to return to base, disappearing in a golden flash.

* * *

Ginevra smiled as she watched the battle gradually unfold. Those two Masters had surpassed her expectations. But she thought it was fitting, considering their Servants' identities: a hellhound to protect the emperor and a demon for the goddess.

Kirsche, on the other hand, while relieved that they weren't going to lose two Masters, glared at Edward's right arm and couldn't take his words out of her head.

"Avenger… Angra Mainyu," She said in a whisper. "Hellhound, just what are you?" she said as she continue glaring at him, he would need to give her some answers."

She kept glaring at him. He would need to give her some answers.

In that moment, her Berserker appeared behind her. She just sighed, considering why he had shown up.

"Some pests are outside, Berserker will deal with them." she said and Ginevra nodded while retaining her focus on the show

* * *

The two Masters looked at the Valkyrie, who continued to smile even though she felt wary of them. Kousuke dashed at her and she shot a stream of light at him. She never expected him to counter with energy of his own. A scarlet beam that negated hers came from his fist. True, she was holding back, but for him to block her attack was more or less a surprise.

Her surprise stopped her from noticing Edward coming up from the back. He threw an uppercut at her with his crimson claw, creating a path of flames as it curved. She managed to block it, but the strength behind the blow sent her reeling skyward. Edward created platforms made from fire for Kousuke to use to follow her up and continue their fight.

Pleiades couldn't believe she was fighting humans anymore. Either way, she wouldn't accept it. No matter what, she wouldn't accept she was fighting on equal ground with humans.

Hellhound appeared behind her and slashed with his crimson arm. When she tried to block it with her own, he ripped right through the armor and left deep cuts in it, all while pushing her away. She tried to escape using her high speed, but realized she was stuck over a large void.

"Negation zone, Belphegor," she heard Edward say.

Kousuke stepped over the black space and shot a wave of pure heat at her. She retaliated with her own energy beam, creating an explosion. Using its smoke, she tried to run, but then found the two fighters on her back once again. They didn't have such power a few moments ago. She cursed Zelretch, never expecting to encounter humans like that.

Another burst of flames engulfed her, but this time she managed to reach the ground.

"You two aren't human!" she cried as she examined her burning right arm.

The two Masters landed in front of her, both with serious expressions.

"We know we're humans!" Kousuke said.

"We just go beyond the usual limits. Just like you, but we keep our self-respect," Edward continued with a smirk.

Pleiades was beginning to lose her cool. She had been pushed back too far by these creatures she considered insects.

"Enough! Come, my mighty weapon, Trishula!"

A golden trident appeared in her left hand and she looked at the two with an expression full of hate. The Masters didn't flinch, ready as ever.

Once again she moved at the speed of light and cut them with her trident and kicked them toward the rubble. But just like before, they stood immediately and continued to attack her. This only made her angrier. She was stronger than them. Even in those forms, the only thing they could do was put up a fight, but it didn't seem they would give up.

"Gungnir!" she said as her trident glowed, throwing it at them.

Edward put his hands out in front of him and make a gigantic, blazing shield.

"Crimson Aegis!"

The shield managed to stop the trident, but Edward could feel the muscles in his arms being ripped apart. It was good that he could restore them, but it hurt like hell. As he continued to block it, Kousuke ran to his side and slammed his fist against the trident's prongs, sending it flying into the sky. Pleiades, shocked, jumped up to retrieve her weapon.

They followed her, but this time she was ready. She dashed at them, grabbing Kousuke by the skull and throwing him into the wreckage before thrusting her trident into his stomach and shooting a beam toward Edward which cleanly blew off his left arm.

She saw them fall while crying out in pain and began to reassure herself that she wouldn't lose. Then the next moment the auras of the two Masters rose again. Steam came from Kousuke's wound as it cauterized itself. Flames spurted from what remained of Edward's arm, and it regenerated.

"Forgot to tell you," he said. "I am made of flames."

* * *

Lance barely dodged the path of the black sword aiming for his neck. He leaned back, a few strands of fringe being hacked off in the process, and jumped away. Saber of Zero didn't seem fazed by anything at all, making the two Servants wonder how this could be possible for her. A monster—that was all they could believe she was.

In Archer's eyes, it didn't make any sense. They'd made a few direct hits, but that didn't slow her down in the slightest. She broke through the barrage of swords he sent at her as if they were nothing. He was also wondered what those explosions in the sky were, feeling something eerily familiar.

Then he remembered the other knights that were at a level similar to Antares. Recalling that flash of light, it came together for him. Pleiades, she was a cunning woman he never get along with. He could never understand how she could feel so peaceful whenever they saw hell. He remembered how Situla cried seeing the destruction, the hate Kaus felt towards humans, even Antares seemed angry, but she was always with a smile.

His mind returned to the fight as he traced the sword Caliburn to stop Saber's slash. The moment the two blades clashed, he swore he sensed some emotion from behind her visor, but it only lasted a second. In the next, Lance's spear came from behind.

She moved her head in time, but it still cut her cheek. After pushing Archer back, she turned and parried Gáe Bolg, getting close enough to grab Lance's face and smash him into the ground.

Archer tried to use the opportunity to attack, but he was met with a black whirlwind of concentrated prana. The Servant in red was sent flying. Just as Saber was about to cut into him, an armored, blue-furred werewolf rose up behind her and slammed her down by the head. Seeing this, Archer jumped over them. After tracing a bow, he notched Caladbolg in it and turned it into an arrow. He looked at Lance, who understood what he needed to do. The now half-man, half-wolf Servant leapt back, barely missing the projectile fired by Archer.

Saber wasn't so lucky. The moment the arrow made impact, she was consumed by flames. The floor beneath her collapsed and the two Servants waited for a second on the edge of the building. They didn't need to fight anymore, since the tree was destroyed and Saber was down for now. Most of all, Archer was worried about those explosions and the identity of those able to fight on par with Pleiades.

"Lance!" called a voice the spearman recognized. The werewolf turned and saw his Master riding on a white lion along with Rin and Kage.

"Well, I see you two have a party here," Leo said with a smile as he suddenly dropped down between the two Servants.

That very moment, Assassin appeared with his body full of cuts.

"Report," Kage managed to say.

"My apologies, Master, he managed to escape. Still, I wounded him."

Kage seemed to think on this for a second before nodding.

"Archer, do you know what those explosions are?" Rin asked, and then froze.

Saber stood from the flames, her body a little burned and the visor over her pale yellow eyes gone.

"Lily…?" Leo said in a whisper, seeing another girl with the face of the Servant he had in his world.

Rin felt troubled as well, recognizing her as a darkened Arturia. She knew her true power, and she couldn't help but shiver when thinking of having her as an enemy.

The swordswoman was about to continue her assault when a chariot pulled by bulls appeared in the sky with Waver Velvet and his Rider driving it.

"Saber, go back. The fight is over for the night."

The swordswoman looked at her allies for a second, like she was considering if she should obey or not. In the end, she chose the former and got on to the chariot. Lance noticed a small smile directed at him. Clearly she wanted a rematch.

Atosaki jumped from Kyrph and landed on Lance's furred back. After petting him a bit, she murmured something in his ear, and he nodded.

"Leo-san, Kage-san, we should go after Edward-san."

"Why? I think Hellhound can take care of himself."

"Those explosions… I think Edward-san is fighting there."

"Not the only one," added Rin. "A samurai is with him. Saw him on my way here."

"Yagami-san…" she whispered as another blast went off in the distance. "Let's go, Lance."

At her words, the blue werewolf jumped from rooftop to rooftop. After the first one, Atosaki turned.

"See you later, Rin-san!" she exclaimed, waving her hand.

"Hey wait!" Leo as he hopped atop Kyrph along with Kage and followed her, Assassin and his own Archer turned back to spirit form, leaving Rin and Emiya on the destroyed roof.

* * *

Saber and Caster slowly came to, and the moment they did, they looked around for their Masters. They didn't find them. When Caster saw Kousuke's sword lying near her, she got a bad feeling. They stood up as they heard a bang in the sky. They didn't want to know what it was about or where it came from. They had an idea of what had happened, but they didn't want to accept it.

Eventually they looked up and saw with horror how their Masters fought against Pleiades. They heard the crack of her trident against their fists. The three continued to fight each other, none of them giving an inch. Edward continued to shoot flames at her, following them with great speed to attack her with his claws. She blocked with her trident, but then Kousuke punched her, sending her flying, though it didn't seem to inflict much damage. She just kept going at them as if nothing had happened.

Saber didn't want to believe it. Dirge of Cerberus, it was the power he had obtained during the War in his world. She didn't mind his new appearance, she didn't mind that he could fight on his own without her protection, but there was something she hated. She could see it, how with every minute that passed his body was breaking, his muscles being reduced to shreds, his bones turning into dust. That was the price for a human to pay, entering a forbidden realm. That wasn't all, though. His wounds might have healed, but she couldn't help but be afraid. In her eyes he looked like a flame, and she feared that flame would get snuffed out. The mighty emperor was afraid of losing him.

Caster's thoughts were almost the same. Crimson Red Vermillion, the curse he had inherited from his clan. Part of his blood was the blood of an oni. The first time she had seen him in that state was during a fight against Berserker in their world. That form took his reason, turning him into a berserker himself. That explained why he abandoned his sword. In that form he didn't need it, but being like that was slowly tearing him apart. His body was still human, still mortal, and all that heat and power destroyed him from the inside out. There was a good reason to hate that form. She was afraid that, instead of dying, he wouldn't be the same, that he would stop being himself and become an irretrievable monster.

The three collided again. Flames and their temperatures tried to destroy light unsuccessfully. Pleiades looked at them with the knowledge their situation hadn't changed much. Even when they were able to hurt her, they couldn't beat her. It was just a matter of time until she figured out a way to defeat them. If she had left then, things might have been better, but then she let her pride get the better of her.

"Come on, humans! You got me for a second, but you aren't any different from those pathetic people." She pointed at the destroyed houses.

The two Masters lost control and said words that made Pleiades curse herself for her bluff and made both Saber and Caster cry out in concern.

"75% Release!"

"3rd Level 75%!"

They didn't hear the pleas of their Servants.

"Stop!"

Edward created a spectral arm and threw Kousuke at her. It happened so fast, faster than the speed of sound, even. Pleiades darted to one side, but he connected with her shoulder, not only breaking her armor but her bones. Edward appeared at her side. She directed an energy beam at him, taking off half his body. She seemed satisfied, but her joy died when she saw him smile and turn his body into flames.

"For moving at the speed of light, you're too slow." He got behind her, both hands holding blades wrapped with black and red flames. "Crimson Damnation!"

The two fires combined and engulfed Pleiades, who screamed in pain, a scream they heard for the first time since the battle began.

The Valkyrie fell to the ground. Edward continued to levitate with his flames and Kousuke stood at his side. At the third level, he had lost most of his logic. He didn't recognize the person at his side, and the only reason he didn't consider him an enemy was that he was too busy concentrating all his strength on destroying Pleiades.

Pleiades stood and glared at them, realizing, angrily, they were looking down on her. They were breathing heavily, unsure how long would they be able to keep those forms.

"You feel it now?! The pain of all the people you killed!" Edward said.

"How dare you!" Her trident began to glow. "I will kill you! GUNGNIR!"

She hurled the trident at them and it seemed as if it became a shooting star. This was it, a final attack against her.

Kousuke concentrated his energy around his arms and shot a scarlet beam as immense as Heracles which clashed with the trident. Edward created two gigantic spectral arms holding a sword that resembled the one his Servant used while himself holding his two blades.

He swung the two weapons in his hands first, and the moment the two intersected, he swung the giant one, making a third slash.

"Crimson Trinity Purgatory!" he shouted as the powers of the two sides met once more.

* * *

Rider was a few blocks from the mansion where he stayed. He thought that carrying Breno was a hassle and even considered summoning his chariot, but decided against it since a mere peon didn't deserve to ride on it.

As he continued to walk, he noticed several shadow figures beginning to surround him, at least ten, but probably more.

"Assassin…" he whispered. Normally he wouldn't have a problem; mere assassins wouldn't be able to harm a Pharaoh like him.

But his Master was unconscious over his shoulder, not only making him an easy target for the class that killed Masters as a specialty, but also slowing his Servant down, needing protection.

"Useless peon," he said as five shadows jumped at him.

But the shadows didn't manage to even get close as the next moment they were all reduced to ashes by lightning. The others tried to escape, but a giant with blond hair wielding a hammer blocked their path.

The giant roared and swung his hammer, the mighty Thor smashing the Assassins in front of him so fast they couldn't make a sound. Against him, their numbers meant nothing, and as some others began to flee, he raised his hammer and threw it.

Wrapped in lighting, it searched for its target and destroyed the leader of the Assassins. In the end, none of the thirty Assassins survived, all eliminated in an instant against the wrath of Kirsche's Berserker. The giant turned towards the Pharaoh and nodded and flew away, leaving Rider staring in disbelief and wondering what Master possessed power to command such servant with ease.

Back at the mansion Kirsche wondered how both Edward and Kousuke powers worked. Then in the middle of her thoughts a pillar of flames erupted bigger that any she had saw before and she could swear she saw the figure of both an Oni and a Cerberus on there.

* * *

The clash ended in a draw, but that was the worst outcome for the Valkyrie, since she'd lost weapon. Even if it was for a second, in that interval of time the two Masters rushed at her, as if they had predicted this would happen the moment their powers rejected each other. They were already in front of her, catching her by surprise. She tried to move, but noticed, too late, she was over that black space which trapped her like before. Both Masters raised their fists and struck her. She acted on reflex, even knowing that was the worst possible choice at the moment; she tried to stop all that power with her bare hands.

If it were power alone, she might have been able to hold out, but those were fists containing a lot of hatred and anger against her because of her acts. She could feel how they slowly pushed back and brought her death closer.

"Mon… monsters!" she exclaimed as she couldn't stop their attacks.

"Just burn!" they said in unison.

A pillar of scorching flames engulfed the Valkyrie, who shrieked in pain like never before.

* * *

Ginevra saw this, barely able to contain her excitement. She never expected these Masters to bring her such a spectacle. But more than that, she was happy they had managed to beat the World, even if the Counter Guardian lost only because she underestimated them. Had she killed them swiftly and mercilessly, it wouldn't have gotten to this. Still, a win was a win.

"Hellhound and Yagami, you two have become Masters worthy of my interest," she said. After all, it was weird to find people with such resolve and levels of idiocy on par with her sister's lover.

* * *

The flames died and as the Masters returned to their normal appearance, they saw Pleiades lying on the floor.

Edward's right arm went back to normal and his hair back to black. With Kousuke, the crimson aura around him began to dissipate.

They fell to their knees and coughed blood, far beyond exhausted. Pleiades couldn't believe she had been reduced to such a pitiful state, unable to move. It was just a matter of time, but good thing she had a final skill for a situation like this.

"Bi…Bifrost," she barely managed to say as she disappeared in a flash of iridescent light.

The two Servants ran to their Masters who looked about to fade away.

"Praetor!"

"Goshujin-sama!"

They had pushed themselves too far. They not only dueled with a Servant earlier but also endured Pleiades' attacks until they'd almost reached the edge. But they won, they survived and they defeated her, but their faces didn't show any happiness.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

"Kousuke, you won, be happier."

"I'm sorry, Nero, but…"

"Tamamo, this can't be considered a victory."

The rest of the mist around Kousuke dissolved, and his eyes and hair returned to normal. Edward's left arm changed back into a black one, with red lines coursing through it. The other Master-Servant pair was surprised. Caster noted that those red lines were slowly fading.

"I'm mad, Praetor," Saber said as she pulled him close to her chest.

"You don't seem so mad…" He tried to joke but decided against it. "Sorry."

She hugged him tightly.

"Stupid Praetor, you promised."

Caster was doing the same, hugging her Master, who was too exhausted to fight back.

"You need to be more careful, Kousuke."

"Yeah…"

"After all, you promised to spend your entire life with me," she said with a forced grin.

Kousuke could see through her façade. She usually said and did things like that when she was really worried about something. He really hated when he made her sad, even if it wasn't on purpose.

"Caster, what do you mean by that?" Saber asked.

"What? Obviously, Master is my dear husband," she replied.

Saber's eyes widened, making Caster laugh.

"Praetor! We can't let that fox beat us! How come you haven't asked me to marry you?"

Edward looked at Kousuke as if asking, "Is it true?"

With only his gaze he answered, "Don't ask."

"Saber… can't we talk about this later?"

Saber was about to answer back when she saw Kyrph coming toward them along with a blue werewolf that shifted into the Lance she knew.

"I must admit, Hellhound," said Leo when they landed, "you need to hold back a little. We only have one city."

He teased a bit, but after looking at them, he realized it was something they didn't want to talk about.

"Saber, help me stand."

"Praetor…"

"Edward-san, you need to rest," Atosaki said.

"Sorry, not much time left," he replied, leaving her confused.

The three Masters noted his strange left arm. They had seen it transform before, but something seemed off, though they didn't say anything about it.

He created a couple of ghost fires to search about the rubble for anyone still alive. After a couple of tense minutes he noticed two presences.

"Atosaki, Leo, there are survivors over there," he said pointing to a mound of bricks which used to be a house.

Leo moved fast and along with Lance moved the debris, finding a pair of children under the dead body of what seemed to be their mother. They pulled the kids out and decided to take them along with them.

Then, before the last line on his arm disappeared, Edward began to burn the entire place. He got the feeling the others would ask questions, so he decided to speak.

"There aren't any official people to take care of the dead bodies. The Counter Guardians would probably clean this up, but after what happened here, I don't trust them. I won't let them do as they please. I'd rather set the pyre alight and let them have some peace."

Atosaki felt so sad for all the people who died that she couldn't stop her tears. Leo took his silver cross in hand and recited a short prayer. Kage just looked at the hell his teammates had raised, but still thought it was better than letting some unnatural force take care of it.

This didn't seem like a victory at all. The enemy had been defeated, but at the cost of many lives, innocent ones at that. As they left to return to their so-called home, the second night came to a close.

* * *

Masters remaining: 37

Servants remaining: 41

Counter Guardians Remaining : 4

* * *

Editor: I reviewed this amazing chapter while listening to the soundtrack of Fate/Zero. It was epic. Hope you liked it as much as I did! After watching the second episode of Unlimited Blade Works today... I realized I enjoyed seeing Archer and Lancer fight against Saber even more. x3 The Fate hype is going so strong right now-let's celebrate every moment of it!

Ok this end the second night arc and the next one should be the end of this part. I read the review about some masters being too OP but their power comes with a price and its not like they come out unscathched. Well for the last Arc I still listening to suggestions for any match ups, feel free to ask for any in a Review or PM. Well please Review


	14. Chapter 13 Fade to Black

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 13 Fade to Black

He had never expected to see such a scene in front of him ever again. Even though the scale was smaller, it didn't matter. After the sixth faction left the scene, Shirou and Saber arrived to it, and the former could barely withstand all the bad memories which flooded back after witnessing that hell.

It really resembled that day ten years ago, buildings and people being consumed by flames, flames that, as he fell to his knees, began to die away. They had finished their work, reducing everything in the area to ashes.

Shirou felt heartbroken. He wanted to avoid something like this happening and yet it occurred right in front of him. As a hero of justice he couldn't help but believe he had failed.

Since then, three days had passed. He was in the kitchen—his faction didn't have anyone to take care of the housework. Even when Antares offered to put someone in charge of it like with the other factions, Shirou declined. He did it in order to avoid having innocent people in his house that could be taken as hostages, just like what had happened with Taiga in the battle against Caster. So he, along with Sakura and, surprisingly, Caster, had begun to take care of the chores.

"Shirou…"

He turned to see a worried Saber.

She had realized that he was badly bothered by that scene three days ago and didn't want him to do anything too reckless.

"Don't worry, Saber, I won't do anything stupid. I can't change the past," he said as he looked at the ceiling. "But I will stop the person who did that. Someone like him can't be allowed to run around freely."

Saber nodded at his words, agreeing that whoever did it needed to pay for their actions, but both she and Shirou were wrong about something. They assumed that the one who had set the place on fire was also responsible for the deaths.

The Hero of Justice and the Hellhound were now destined to clash with each other no matter what.

* * *

Three knights were in a white room, each of them seated on a black chair. Between Situla and Kaus there were two empty chairs, one belonging to Aldebaran, who had died, and the other to Pleiades, who had been wounded to a great degree and decided to not attend the meeting for recovery.

"I can't believe that two of us have been attacked and we're just here talking crap!"

Antares spoke. "Kaus, I told you to not raise your voice. Aldebaran broke our oath when he engaged himself against the King of Heroes and so did Pleiades the moment she attacked the participants."

At this, Kaus stood and summoned his scythe and swung it at Antares. He stopped it with his bare hand, without looking at him.

"Don't fuck with me Antares, are you going to let those humans make fun of us?!"

"I mourn Aldebaran's death, but we have made an oath, we won't interfere in the war," he said as he tightened the grip on the scythe and lifted it along with Kaus, throwing both against one of the walls. "Your thoughts, Situla?"

"I agree that the death of Aldebaran was a very unfortunate event, and that we can't break our oath. The fact that mere humans were able to overcome Pleiades is also something that intrigues me."

Kaus stood and glared at Situla with eyes full of hate. He was about to yell at him when Antares spoke once again.

"Kaus, calm down. I don't mean that we won't get revenge. But to fulfill our oath, we need to keep supervising the factions. Be patient. Eventually the factions will disappear and then we can do as we please."

Situla grinned at his words.

"You found someone you want to fight, Antares?"

"Yes. Actually, there are many candidates. It's been a while since I have gotten serious."

"Still, there is the matter of the King of Heroes. We can't just let him have his way."

"I will give him a warning," Antares concluded as he disappeared in a torrent of flames.

Kaus looked at this and made his scythe disappear.

"I can't believe that guy."

"I don't get why this thing about Aldebaran bothers you so much, Kaus. We are all Counter Guardians, but the relationship between us is nothing more than acquaintances. Well, maybe it's different towards Antares, since he's the leader."

"I don't care about his death, I just can't stand they said humans didn't need the gods," he said, looking at the tanned man. "We have seen this cycle many times over the centuries. Humanity doesn't change. No matter how many times those who disturbed peace and order were defeated, nothing changed!"

"Kaus…"

"Tell me, Situla! Do we have any meaning besides being servants of the world?!" Kaus could tell Situla was speechless. "We don't! Humanity will never change, and if it comes down to me I'd rather destroy it myself than see everything repeat again!"

He disappeared into a black portal, leaving Situla sitting alone.

"Kaus, humanity is changing. It took them a while, but they are beginning to. Otherwise, those humans who fought Pleiades wouldn't have stood up again and again, no matter how many times they were defeated."

* * *

In the castle of the Faction of Zero, Kiritsugu couldn't help but curse Kayneth. His foolishness had caused him to lose both his arms and his Command Seals with them. He didn't know how long Lancer would be able to sustain himself. Because of his stupid pride as a knight, he wouldn't attack innocents and eat their souls. He had remained still for the last three days, that was the reason he was barely able to keep existing, but eventually he would fade away.

As a solution, Tokiomi inspected the lines of the city in order to find another source of mana for Lancer, to at least buy time.

Kirei had been trying to heal Kayneth's arms but it was futile. They had been burned to the muscle. The priest was actually rather enjoying the face full of anguish and despair of the proud magus. He had been the first to fall and moreover to an opponent he had considered inferior.

Kiritsugu continued to check the city. There hadn't been any movement for the last few days and it was starting to look suspicious. He could expect that from the faction of that guy who fought Kayneth, as according to his familiars he wasn't the only one wounded. In that night, they had three Masters with severe wounds, two others with minor.

The Master who summoned that tree had also suffered defeat, so maybe their faction was waiting for him to recover so they could use it again.

That left three factions who had decided against moving for the last three days.

"Just what are they doing?" he wondered aloud.

Of course, the Magus Killer couldn't know that both Archer and Saber of Blue had used too much power in their last fights, and another one could mean death, so they stopped all action for the moment.

But he was right, both the Red and Black factions had been the ones with the least damage, but still they didn't make a move.

For the Red Faction, the reason was that Shirou Kotomine was waiting for Assassin's Noble Phantasm to be completed. She had told him three days, but the priest told her to take her time, so she decided to spend five days on the construction.

But the reason of the Black faction lay somewhere else.

* * *

Darnic walked to the lower levels of his castle with Lancer at his side. He didn't like going down there, but the Caster of his faction had taken a liking to that place, where he could work to his heart's content. Now that he thought about it, there had been a strange phenomenon which occurred around that Servant. His Master, Roche Frain Yggdmillennia, a child with messy orange hair who usually wore a dressy white shirt with black shorts, had been with them in that original room. But the moment they were transported to the mansion, he found the boy was missing. He ordered Caules to search for him, and after thirty minutes he was found in the basement.

Later that night, after his Lancer defeated his other self, he went to the basement, wondering how the kid had disappeared like that in a flash.

When he got there, he found him working with a man wearing a featureless golden mask and a blue-and-black striped full body suit. He was an intelligent man, so he could deduce the man wearing the golden mask was Roche's Servant, but what he found shocking was the number of golems that were there.

It was a good thing the castle was big enough. He had begun to put them around the perimeters as protection. The last time he asked Caster of Black about their numbers, he was told there were around a thousand.

That fact itself was the phenomenon. According to Roche, they had been working for two months, but he and the others had just arrived there.

The only explanation was that the moment they disappeared from that room, they were transported to the same place, but at a different time. Still, how something like that could be achieved was beyond him.

Darnic opened the door of the basement and found Caster working on new designs for his golems.

"Good evening, Caster," he said politely.

Lancer had told him to treat all the Servants with respect, especially Caster and Saber, the latter being the strongest Servant they had and the former a great resource, as the golems provided them with an incredible army.

Darnic couldn't deny his words. After looking at the golems, he concluded that it would take the members of his family one year to create a single one, while Caster could make them in a couple of hours.

"It's good to see you, Lord Darnic and Lancer," he said, standing up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lancer of Black stepped in with a grin.

"Caster, I think it's time to release our army," he said, putting an arm over his shoulder. "The enemy is weak and they don't know we know their locations."

That was true. His familiars had been watching the Masters during their fights and followed them home when they were over. They had their defenses, but none were prepared for a large-scale assault in the middle of the day.

They wouldn't expect it, and as each of the bases were rather isolated from other houses and buildings, he didn't have to worry about collateral damage.

"They will be ready in a few hours. How many should I send to each base?" the magician wondered.

"A hundred to each base."

"As you order." Caster turned to his young Master. "Alright my student, we have little time. Let's get to work."

"Alright, master," Roche said with excitement.

* * *

Atosaki walked into the kitchen and saw both Edward and Kousuke talking at the kitchen table. She hadn't seen them in days and couldn't be happier to have them back.

"You two, you're alright!" she exclaimed while hugging the two of them.

"Atosaki-san…." Edward began.

"We… can't breathe." Kousuke continued.

She immediately let them go and her smile faded the moment she glimpsed their state in full. Kousuke had bandages all over his body. Edward, on the hand, had only his left arm heavily dressed.

"Can you move it now, Edward-san?" she asked.

After the last line disappeared, his arm had been virtually paralyzed. She and Leo were surprised, but he reassured them it was just a side effect of his power.

"Yep, that's the only reason Saber let me leave the room."

"I understand the feeling," said Kousuke. "Caster didn't want me to move 'til all my wounds were healed."

"Whipped," they heard Leo say as he entered the room.

"You just say that because you don't have a female Servant," Kousuke answered back.

"I had one back in my world." He then looked at Edward. "She resembled yours, but she was more conservative."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what I said."

"Want to fight? Even without the use of an arm, I can take you." he said with a smile.

"Come at me bro," Leo replied, grinning.

They stared each other down for a while before laughing.

"Then you know how hard it is."

"Yep, Lily was sometimes a pain."

* * *

In another room of the house, the two female Servants found themselves sitting with each other. No matter what they did, no matter how many times their Masters told them it was alright, they couldn't forget the events of that night.

They could feel the sadness of their Masters. They knew them too well, and the fact that they couldn't help and the two were forced to use those powers made it even worse. They only felt like they had failed them.

At that moment, Odysseus appeared with a carefree grin.

"Two lovely ladies, alone and with sad faces." He looked at them and saw they weren't listening. "Only the worst man could do something like that."

"Shut up!" the two girls yelled in unison.

At their words, the hero's smile faded and he put his hands on their heads.

"Weep," he said, solemn. "Reflect on your mistakes and grow. Failure is part of life. I myself have failed to protect many people I found precious. But those two remain at your side. Become stronger, Servant of the spell, Servant of the blade. If not, the only thing waiting for you is despair."

Odysseus' words were right. Their Masters were weaker at the moment. They needed them more than ever, and they didn't have the luxury of having doubts. They had to protect them.

The hero smiled and disappeared. He wasn't the strongest of heroes, and he knew he had told the two girls something they already knew. But he had seen the dead many times and he understood failure more than anyone else. He remembered all his friends who followed him only to die at the hands of the monsters at sea.

He was remembered as the hero who developed the scheme to finally win the Trojan War. But how many of his generals, his friends, died before he could pull it off? People sometimes forgot the sacrifices made after learning the final result. All the glory didn't mean anything to him. He just wanted to fulfill his promise to the king and return to his family. He regretted that he couldn't have managed to think of a way for him and the others to win without losing so much.

* * *

Gilgamesh felt a presence he recognized very well. He materialized in the living room and found a crimson knight standing there looking at some paintings on the wall.

"Another dog dares to show himself in front of me?!" He glowered at Antares, who didn't seem to care.

"King of Heroes, I just came to inform you that Aldebaran was at fault. He wasn't allowed to fight with you and should have departed before things escalated," he said in monotone.

"Running and dying are the only thing you dogs are capable of doing," he said as he prepared to unleash Gate of Babylon on him. "Your presence offends me, mongrel"

He was about to shoot when he realized Antares was no longer standing in front of him.

"You really are an arrogant king."

Gilgamesh heard his voice behind him and his eyes went round in surprise.

Antares put a hand on his shoulder.

"I wasn't finished talking. You are also at fault. But I can't fight with you, so can we leave it until the end of the war? Then I shall accept your challenge."

The only answer he received was a golden sword to the face. He dodged it with ease but did not let go of him.

"I really hate when I need to do this."

He grabbed Gilgamesh by the neck and smashed him into the wall of the other side of the room. Gilgamesh looked at Antares' eyes, crimson eyes devoid of any emotion. He could only see a killing machine.

"Listen, King of Heroes, you are free to come and try to kill us, but wait until the end of the war before you do. If you try anything funny again, I will deal with you swiftly and mercilessly. This is your only warning."

He jumped back, dodging the many weapons coming at him.

"Not bad, no wonder Aldebaran was defeated."

"You bastard! You dare to lay a hand on the King!"

He shot more weapons, but as they got close to making impact, they suddenly disappeared. Rather, they turned to dust. Gilgamesh couldn't hide his surprise when a scorpion stinger appeared at the knight's side.

"Well, I gave you a warning. See you later, Gil-san," Antares said as he disappeared.

"Damn mongrel!" Gilgamesh said as he slammed a fist into the floor.

There was only one thought in the mind of the king: get revenge for the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Antares.

* * *

In the afternoon at the base of the sixth faction, Leo was looking for Archer when he saw Atosaki leaving the house.

"Hey!" he called to her.

She stopped and turned to see him.

"You going out?" he asked.

"Yep, with Lance," she said happily.

In that moment, he noticed the blue-haired man wearing an unbuttoned, stoplight-colored Hawaiian shirt, a white V-neck shirt underneath and black leather pants. Instead of his visor, he wore bandages over his eyes. To Leo it seemed weird, but at least it was less conspicuous than that black, intricately carved eyeshade.

"Have fun on your date," he said as he went to take a nap in his room.

He didn't seem to notice Atosaki blushing furiously. Then something occurred to him.

"What about the kids?"

"I left them with Edward-san. He said I needed a break," she said as Lance took her hand and the pair left the mansion.

The two children they rescued that night had been living in the house, Atosaki taking care of them along with the maids. The boy named Alex was beginning to open up to them, at least to Atosaki, maybe because of her cheerful disposition, but the girl, Clare, seeming to be younger than him, refused to let anyone in. Atosaki didn't want to leave them alone, but she believed that Edward could look after them for a couple of hours.

"See you later, Leo-san."

* * *

Caules couldn't believe what he was doing. Both Rider and Berserker were walking in front of him in civilian clothes. He really didn't know how the paladin had managed to make her change her outfit, but he thought it would be better to not think about it. For some reason the paladin had taken a liking to him. While being in bed, he came to visit Caules every day. Even Berserker was beginning to accept him. It was not hard to get along with him, but for some reason Berserker had decided to remain at his side at all times.

He had to admit that during the time he couldn't leave the bed, the two had become closer. She never left his side and without realizing it, he had begun to tell her everything about him. Still, he didn't understand why whenever he mentioned his sister a scowl formed on her face.

It wasn't surprising to him that his sister didn't come to visit. He knew that the others didn't like her associating with him, so he only thought it couldn't be helped.

He remembered that, before leaving, she had been waiting for him outside his room.

"Hi Caules," she said with a weak smile.

"Good afternoon, sis." He was happy to see her after so many days.

But the moment he said those words he saw her face fall.

"Caules, you can't call me your sister anymore," she said, lowering her head.

His eyes widened.

"W…Why?" He didn't understand. He knew there was a lot of pressure on her, but he never expected it to come down to this.

"I will become the next head of the family. I have to cut my ties with my real relatives," she said.

This was all a lie. Fiore didn't need to do anything like that, but she felt she did. She had decided to choose her legs over her brother, so she pushed him away. Perhaps then he could search for a wish on his own. Perhaps he would despise her and make it easy to choose her legs over him.

She expected yells or even a slap from him, but nothing came. She looked at him and she felt her heart break when she saw all the pain she had caused him. She wanted to take back everything she just said, but it was too late.

"Understood, Lady Fiore," he said as he began to walk away.

Fiore's eyes widened. His words contained neither hatred nor anger, only sadness. It made sense—even after all that, he couldn't bring himself to hate her.

Berserker had watched the scene and wanted to break Fiore's neck when her Master called her.

"Berserker, let's go," he said with no emotion, and she followed him.

Fiore was left speechless. This had been her choice. It wasn't supposed to hurt so much, she'd done this so everything could be easier. Yet that was the first time hearing her name caused pain like that.

After that, they met with Rider of Black and he offered to show them the city. His mind returned to the present when he received a good thump on his back from the paladin.

"Don't think too much about anything," he said, grinning. "Cheer up! You're here with two lovely ladies."

"But you're a guy."

"Doesn't matter, to the others I look like a girl. Someone I met before made that perfectly clear."

Caules wondered who that person could be, but decided to relax for a while.

* * *

Edward and Saber were going to the room where the two children were sleeping when they found Kirsche standing in their way.

"Hi Kirsche." he greeted. "I never expected you would want to look after the kids."

"Please, Hellhound. I would never do something like that."

"Alright, then why are you here?"

"I want answers, Hellhound," she said in all seriousness.

"No way out of this, right?" He really hoped she would drop the subject.

But after looking at her eyes, he knew that it wasn't a choice.

"Why do you have that arm? Why did you mention Avenger?"

"This arm… is the answer to a foolish dream. I wished to regain what I had lost, but that was impossible. What had been lost can't be regained, only replaced."

Kirsche understood his words and couldn't help but agree. After all, she hadn't really regained what the Matou had taken from her. The Einzbern had helped her, but in reality she knew she had changed.

Edward unwound the bandages and showed her his arm. While he used his glove to conceal its appearance, in reality his arm was completely black, like a piece of charcoal with red lines running over and through it.

She realized how his arm worked after looking closer; she wasn't a magus from the Einzberns for naught.

"A fragment of the Grail…" She knew because Zouken had put something like that to augment his vessel back during the war.

Saber looked at her Master, understanding it was something he really didn't like to talk about.

"About Avenger, as he had corrupted the Grail, a piece of him was also in this arm," he said coldly. "But he is gone now. Those black flames were his parting gift."

And then he smiled, adding: "He is the second head of the Hellhound."

"Then who is the third?" she asked him.

"That's a secret. Sorry, Kirsche, but I don't trust you that much."

He began to walk away.

"Wait! You didn't answer all my questions."

"As I said, I don't trust you that much."

He continued to move along, Saber glaring at her as she followed him, and Kirsche began to understand why her counterpart Ginevra had developed such interest in him and Yagami.

* * *

In the middle of the city, on top of the tallest building, Caster of Black looked out at the place where the greatest battle would occur. From there, he could see the other five bases, and he ordered his creations to attack them. Five hundred golems appeared out of nowhere and descended upon all the faction bases, but he made sure to keep the collateral damage to a minimum.

"Go my creations, destroy our enemies," the Servant said as a fight in each of the bases began.

* * *

All ready for the next fight, the black faction leads an assault against the others, would the problems between brother affect them or not. Well Antares acting like boss. So please Review


	15. Chapter 14 Clarent

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 14 Clarent

"No, no! No! NO!" a voice screamed.

Caster of Zero couldn't believe it. He and his Master had been working without rest for the last five days, but they couldn't lift the curse on their victims. Partially because they didn't have the power to oppose the World, also because their methods all consisted of different tortures.

They believed that if subjecting them to incredible amounts of pain they would wake up, no matter the spell. This of course didn't make sense. He was the only Caster who would think to break a curse in such a way. Really, nothing more was to be expected from a man who didn't belong in that class.

The only reason both Master and Servant managed to remain "sane" was that they could torture them during the day. They realize this by mere coincidence, as one night they forgot to kill one of the people they had kidnapped and in the morning they woke up and heard him screaming out of pain. The pair had really missed this and brutalized him until nightfall. The answer became clear: kidnap at night and torture during the day.

They could enjoy themselves like always, but they would need self-control. It was a shame neither of them had such restraint. That knowledge filled them with despair. No matter how hard they tried to follow the rules, they couldn't, and they continued to torture the man before nighttime, when the spell reactivated and returned him to a deep slumber. Seeing this only increased their despair, as all the blood and screams from moments ago seemed little more than a memory.

It had come to the point the pair didn't know what else to do. They were simply unable to satisfy their bloodlust. The World had taken from them what they considered their only pleasure, and without it they felt empty.

In their lair, they began to hear footsteps. At first they thought it was just an illusion, but when the sound grew louder, the pair went to the entrance and found a man clad in black stand there, at his side a white dove with a camera around its neck.

"I must admit, that kid did a great job. Being able to find our enemies so easily is great. Don't you agree, Julius?"

They heard a voice that didn't belong to the man. Caster assumed the person in front of him was a Master and the voice belonged to his Servant. A smile appeared on Caster's face. If he captured him, he could torture him to his heart's content, until death.

"I must thank God for such a miracle. When I was about to fall into madness, He sent me this ray of hope. Miracles like this make me want to believe once again."

Julius looked around. He felt nothing but repulsion upon seeing the dead bodies of the people that this Servant had chosen as his playthings.

"Disgusting…"

"I have to agree with you, Master. By killing them we will be doing the world a favor."

They used the program Shinji developed and the small devices Kaus had brought three days ago. After creating an alliance with the Red Faction, both the white doves of Assassin of Red and Julius' crows were released to check the city.

That was how he had managed to find Caster. The dove had detected a great amount of heat coming from underground. Leo had his worries about sending him on his own, but before he could say anything else, Julius left the house. It was his mission to slay his brother's enemies, and, after that, die to allow Leo to get the Grail. That was his resolution.

Caster took out his tome made of human skin and opened it. A purple aura began to surround the book and a great quantity of amphibious demonic familiars appeared and encircled Julius. The assassin looked around with a sigh.

"Don't hold back."

"Aye sir."

As the horrors closed in, a couple of them exploded. A man with short reddish-orange hair wearing a traditional Chinese outfit appeared, his fist dripping with the blood of the creatures he had just killed.

He dashed at them with great speed, and in a matter of seconds he had killed all the monsters around them. As he bathed in their blood, a smile crossed his face.

"It seems this work won't be a waste of time after all."

Caster saw this and also gave him a mad smile. All of this futile resistance only made it more worthy a prize. Assassin ran at him as more creatures blocked his way. Julius couldn't understand the sick grins the two Servants wore.

* * *

Fiore looked at the clock in her room. By this time, the attack on the other bases should have begun. She felt too empty to care. She couldn't take that memory of Caules' eyes from her mind.

"My lady, are you alright?" Archer of Black said, appearing behind her.

"Archer, do you think I did the right thing?" she asked him.

Archer didn't know what to say. Personally he didn't approve, but he also understood her reasons.

"Tell me the truth, Archer. No, Chiron. Did I just make a terrible mistake?"

"I think you did, my lady. Your brother is the kind of person one can rarely find. He considered you so precious to him that he would use his wish to save you. I guess that many times you two only had each other."

Fiore just nodded. She also remembered the look on Berserker's face. As a Servant, she could feel his pain and sadness better than her.

"I inflict so much pain upon him…"

"You did. But I also understand your reasons, my lady. At the same time, I don't think this is the right thing to do. Just like you made your choice, he made his. Instead of pushing him away, stand at his side. Fight together with him so both will survive, so you don't have to make that decision yourself."

He knelt in front of her and wiped the tears that had been falling from her eyes.

"As your Archer, I will make sure you don't have to choose."

* * *

At the same time, Edward and Saber were standing outside the room of the kids. Clare was the only one actually inside. When they tried to enter, she had made everyone leave, including Alex. Edward wanted to help the girl, so he had Kousuke, who was passing by with Caster, take care of her brother while he tried to get her out of the room.

Up until now, all his attempts to persuade her had been futile. Saber, who snuck in using spirit form, ended up having a toy thrown at her head.

"That little brat! How dare she attack an emperor?!"

Edward needed all his strength of will to avoid laughing. In that moment, he and the other Masters felt something coming at them.

The first wave of golems slammed into the bounded fields and were promptly disintegrated. The Supervisor of the Sixth Faction looked out from her window and sighed with disappointment.

"Brute force won't work, you know."

And then a more specialized group of golems managed to bring down the outer set of bounded fields and allowed their brethren to enter the mansion grounds.

"Not bad…" she commented as she began changing her clothes. "…Caster of Black's work is first-rate. Let's have some fun, shall we…?"

The golems charged toward the mansion, lights flickering on across the building, only to stop as a second set of bounded fields activated and paralyzed them where they stood. The magic-wielding golems stepped up, only to be blown to bits by blazing purple beams.

"Battles between magi are battles of concepts. Furthermore, the older the concepts, the more powerful they become, or rather, they become more profound. Well, it means the same thing either way," Ginevra du Lac commented as she appeared on the roof, dressed in a white-belted blue dress with white shoes and a snowy cloak trimmed in blue. "Your magecraft is probably eight hundred years old, but mine is approximately three thousand. Enjoy the laser light show."

Ginevra smiled, and the skies above the mansion flashed purple as countless magic circles appeared and fired off a ground-scouring barrage of beams that annihilated the attacking golems and left the ground covered with smoking craters. She smirked, and then she looked up at the sound of beating insect wings. Sure enough, more golems were approaching, their dragonfly-like constructs swarming the mansion.

"I hate bugs."

Her expression fell, and with the wave of a hand blasted the approaching golems with a wind spell that sent them tumbling back several hundred meters.

"Strong…" she admitted as she activated a viewing sphere that showed her the battles raging across the city. "…Hmph… what are those stooges in the Black Faction plotting, I wonder?"

In the Castle of the Faction of Zero, Gilgamesh saw how the golems began to attack and how they broke through the bounded fields both Kayneth and Tokiomi had put up as defense. He saw Saber and Rider stand in front of them, ready to attack, but didn't have any interest in the fight. To eliminate rocks was no job for a king. Those peasants known as Heroic Spirits should be enough to deal with them. At least they would provide him a little amusement.

Saber broke through the first ten golems with ease, as they didn't have any other ability besides brute strength. Simple swings of her black blade were enough to reduce them to shreds. Even when their bodies disintegrated, jewels remained in the pile of dust left behind.

Kiritsugu, along with Tokiomi, noticed this and the two walked toward the remnants of the golem while being spotted by Rider's chariot. Kiritsugu picked up the jewel and gave it to Tokiomi.

"Is it possible?" he asked.

Tokiomi's eyes widen and a smile appeared on his face.

"Yes, this should work just fine to regain our spearman," he said with a grin.

At that very moment, a knight surrounded by a black mist appeared in the battlefield and with a roar took one of the arms of the golems, turning it black, and then joined the fight using the remnants of golems like a mace, while Kirei and Assassin acted as support.

"Kirei-kun, retrieve those jewels," Tokiomi then ordered him.

* * *

Looking up as she sensed the return of the flying golems, Ginevra flew into the air and summoned her staff.

"One tactic when it comes to dealing with superior enemy numbers is to attack…" she muttered."…This will turn the enemy's strength against him. However, one must take care not to lose the momentum or the initiative to the enemy, lest one be surrounded and annihilated."

Smiling, Ginevra reinforced her body to Servant-level and then shot forward like a bullet, the sonic boom shattering glass and dislocating objects on the ground below her. More than a few golems moved to intercept, only to be literally crushed as the bow wave of wind before her reduced them to powder, while the displaced air in Ginevra's wake left a trail of flame as the golems' destroyed remains burned as they fell to the ground.

She sensed more coming from the back of the mansion.

"They can't expect me to deal with all of them. They should at least be able to take care of those," she said, but then she realized something. "Isn't that where the kids' room is? …Well, can't be helped."

And she continued with the business in front of her.

* * *

Caster of Black couldn't understand how the attack of his creations could be deflected with such ease by that woman alone. But it wasn't only her, the Masters and Servants in all the bases stood their ground as well. From the five factions, three were having a hard battle. Besides Ginevra, a sorceress with purple robes was destroying his golems with the same method. None could see it, but he was smiling. He began to lose all restraint and sent all the remaining golems to the city. He no longer cared about collateral damage. He would wipe them all out.

"I gladly accept your challenge, magician of the age of the gods!"

Caster felt a horrible aura full of violence and blood. He turned and found a helmeted knight clad in red holding the head of one of the golems he had left near the building to protect him.

"And I thought that these pieces of rock would provide me some entertainment, but they are so weak." Saber of Red spoke while crushing the head of the golem. "Tell me that you have something better than this."

Saber rushed at him as three more golems appeared. She dodged their fists and hacked them to bits with ease. Caster couldn't even move as he saw her sword come at him, so fast, so strong. Right as the blade was about to reach him, the three golems combined into another one and punched Saber of Red to one side.

Saber was really surprised how its strength and speed had tripled, but this only made everything more worthwhile.

* * *

At the mansion of the Blue Faction, they managed to get rid of almost all the golems that came in the first wave. Thanks to Caster's bounded field and her abilities, she was able to destroy them, aided by the other Servants.

"That seems to be the last," Lancer said as he dislodged his spear from the floor.

The Servants saw another wave coming at them.

"You and your big mouth, Lancer," Archer said, tracing his swords.

* * *

Edward heard the sound of a window shattering from inside the bedroom. Saber broke down the door and they both saw a girl with short blond hair wearing a purple dress standing still as a monster made of rock was about to smash her. Saber moved at amazing speed and cut him down before he could lower his fist.

Edward was shocked. The girl hadn't shown any emotion or response at the attack. It was as if she didn't care she was about to get killed.

He walked up to her and saw her eyes. They were dead. Those were the eyes of someone who had lost something important. He couldn't blame the girl, as his eyes were the same when he survived that fire in his world.

"You want to die?" he asked.

"I do. I don't have anything left. If I die, I might be able to see Mom again."

Many times he had thought the same things in his childhood. Many times he had just wanted to die and let everything end. But he had been saved, so he couldn't let this girl be lost either.

"Death is never the answer."

The girl snapped.

"Don't talk like you know what I'm feeling! She's gone! My parents are gone! I don't have a reason to live!"

He knelt in front of her and hugged her.

"Live in their place then. Live while remembering each of them. Live because they can't. You survived thanks to your mother. Your life is no longer yours, but hers as well."

She began to cry on his shoulder.

"It hurts too much to remember them."

"Clare!" They heard a voice behind them.

A boy with dark hair wearing a t-shirt and jeans stood along with Kousuke at the door with an expression full of concern. Edward saw this and smiled at the girl.

"See? There is still someone who will be sad if you were gone. Clare, you are not alone. I know it hurts to remember, but never forget. Remember them until it doesn't hurt anymore. And until that moment, I will protect you," he said with a smile as he let the girl go to her brother.

Kousuke looked at him approvingly.

"There are more coming, Edward-kun."

"Let's go."

* * *

When Kairi arrived at the top of the building where his Servant was fighting, he found her on the floor being beaten by Caster's golem. But instead of feeling worried, he just sighed.

"You done playing?"

Saber suddenly stopped the golem's fist with her bare hands.

"Yep, I wanted to see if he could get stronger, but it seems I was wrong."

She tightened her grip, destroying the hand.

"It seems that no matter how many times I destroy him, he comes back," she said before taking off her helmet.

Mordred, the "son" of King Arthur, revealed herself as her sword began to shine, wrapped in a crimson glow. A twisted smile appeared on her face as she raised it.

"Clarent…."

Caster couldn't move. The pressure she exuded was enough to freeze him on the spot, and either way he didn't have a way to escape. He couldn't blame anyone but himself, being so focused on wiping out the two sorcerers he had forgotten about the swordsman behind him. But his defeat didn't matter. He had unleashed it, his greatest creation, the supreme Golem Adam.

"…Blood Arthur!"

Laughter filled the air as the sword fired a crimson beam at the magician and turned both him and his golem to dust. As his mask faded and his real face was revealed, he allowed himself a smile as he thought about that boy he had been with the last two months. He taught him all he could. It would take him a little more time, but he was now able to create golems on his own. As he continued to vanish, he gave his creations a final order.

"Des…troy… everything…"

"That wasn't so boring," Saber exclaimed as she looked at the sky.

She had seen it three days ago, the light which could only come from that holy sword. Her "father" was in the city. She would find her and she would finally make her hand over the right to be king. She felt a small tremor and when she walked to the edge of the roof, she saw how the golems were going berserk. She just smiled.

"This is getting interesting."

* * *

A whirlwind erupted outwards as Ginevra came to a halt, the magus dispersing the collected force of passage around her. Magic circles simultaneously sprung to life and fired off a fresh barrage of beams, destroying the few remaining flying golems around her.

She then realized some of the golems stopped coming at her, deciding instead to destroy the city. It wasn't something she really concerned herself about, since she was almost certain that the Masters of her faction would do something about it.

"They all have great talent. It's a shame some of them are goody two-shoes."

She saw the Masters of Archer, Saber and Caster leave the house along with their Servants to stop the golems.

"Indiscriminate fire approved…" she whispered with a sadistic smirk, and a barrage of beams rained down across the city. The beams left devastation in their wake, leveling buildings and ripping glowing gashes across the ground as they annihilated golems by the dozen. "…This is boring. No different from playing at an arcade…!"

Ginevra's eyes widened as she felt danger, and she quickly realigned her bombardment array to face the new threat. Several glowing projectiles flew toward her at supersonic speeds, only to be blown apart by precisely-aimed beams. The resulting explosions merely confirmed her suspicions.

"Broken Phantasms…?" she grumbled as her gaze narrowed. "There's only one person who would use those indiscriminately… EMIYA!"

A counter-barrage lit up the sky around her, the concentrated artillery fire of her beams immolating the target area–collateral damage and casualties notwithstanding–but Ginevra was sure that the Counter Guardian was already moving to a new position. And another threat was approaching, a silver, comet-like object streaking across the sky towards her.

"No way…" Ginevra whispered in disbelief as the comet slowed, pure white wings beating majestically as it approached. "…A Pegasus…!"

* * *

Kirsche looked from afar at the destruction her counterpart created while standing on top of a building. She didn't like senseless destruction, but she didn't have any reason to stop her either. She left the house before the attack, after that conversation with Edward, and she never expected to find such a reckless group of Masters who would attack during the day.

The behavior of her Servant was even weirder. Berserker had begun to deflect some of the beams that were aimed at the buildings in a futile effort to stop the destruction.

She sighed. It was something that was part of his soul. Even in his madness he couldn't forget his love for humans. According to the legends, he always wished for humanity to survive. That was why he fought so desperately to stop Ragnarök, but in the end it was useless.

As she continued to look at her Servant, she saw a golden arc in the sky coming at her.

"Berserker, come back," she ordered, and the giant returned to her side the very moment the King of Heroes appeared in front of them.

"I found you, god of thunder," he said, looking at the mad warrior. "My punishment of this world shall continue with your death."

"You're forgetting about me, King of Heroes?" she said with a smirk.

He looked at her carefully and then he realized something.

"You resemble Tokiomi, but your power is too great to be related to someone as pathetic as him. May I ask your name?"

"I am Kirsche von Einzbern…" she said with a polite bow. "…the First Princess of the Clock Tower."

"A princess you say? I shall test your claim once your Servant is…!"

He couldn't finish, as he needed to summon a couple of swords to block the lightning-wrapped hammer flying at him, and even when he managed to stop it, the strength of the thunder god was enough to break the swords and push him back.

"Insolent mongrel!" he yelled as portals appeared at his side.

* * *

Leo and Odysseus continued to battle the golems in the city. He didn't want innocent people to die because of the madness of some Servant.

He ran toward one and jumped over its head to slam it face-first into the floor. He moved to another and continued to attack. He couldn't break them, so he distracted them long enough for his Servant to kill them with one swift shot an arrow.

He continued on until he had to dodge a golem hurtling at him. It crashed into a lamppost, and in the direction it came from walked a woman wearing a suit along with a man who resembled Atosaki's Servant.

In the next second, Leo saw a crimson spear slash the air inches from his face.

"Damn, he's fast!" He moved quickly to avoid its path.

The spearman was about to press forward, and then he moved his spear to his right side to block the bowman's kick.

"Not bad." Lancer said, smirking.

"Well, I can't let you kill him just yet."

Leo rolled to one side as Bazett stood in front of him, ready to fight.

"I can't catch a break!" he cried in exasperation as he prepared for the attack of the enforcer.

* * *

After seeing the destruction created by Ginevra, Shirou and the rest of his faction decided to leave the defense of the base to Ilya and Caster while they took out the golems destroying the city.

They left Sakura there too, Shirou worried about her getting hurt, and along with Saber he began to eliminate the golems. He suddenly saw a pillar of crimson flames. Without thinking, his body moved toward its source.

When he got there, he saw a young man with a red jacket missing a sleeve and a claw instead an arm, along with a Servant who resembled his own. Normally he would be shocked by this, but when he saw the flames, he knew immediately this was the one responsible for that hell three days ago. The flames danced around him, and Shirou could only see the burned bodies of those poor people.

"You bastard!" he said as he dashed at him.

"Shirou!" Saber yelled, trying to stop him, but her warning fell on deaf ears.

The red Saber was the first to turn and got her sword ready to protect her Master, but a blue version of herself attacked her, leaving the way free for Shirou to get at the flame magus.

"Praetor!"

Shirou traced his blades and prepared to attack the man in front of him, but hearing his Saber, Edward summoned a spectral hand to stop Shirou mid-assault.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"You burned those people!" Shirou yelled.

Edward's eyes widen surprised, as he believed no one but his own group had seen that.

"Yes, so what? You expect me to leave them there as if nothing had happened?"

Shirou couldn't control himself. He dashed at him once again. Edward called upon his fire blades and in the middle of that chaos, in the middle of that city infested by golems, a man made of swords and a man made of flames clashed as their Servants did.

* * *

Servants Remaining: 40

Masters Remaining: 37

* * *

The sixth and blue faction clash as the city is attacked by golems.

Flame and steel clashed, the hero and the hellhound

Caster against Assasin in a sadistic fight of murderers

And the God of thunder against the strongest servant. Well make your bets.

Well give me your opinions and please review !


	16. Chapter 15 Different Path

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 15: Different Paths

Gene couldn't know this would be wrong. He didn't want to understand how he and the priest reacted so differently to the same thing. He was there, sending tornados out at the golems that had broken into the church. Karna was swinging his black spear and destroying all the ones which entered through the door while Shirou remained calm and with his Black Keys continued to cut down the monsters. The fact he could keep so calm make Gene felt uneasy.

Archer was on top of the church using her skills to shoot down any flying golems coming at them. Rider fought outside, laughing and laughing. No one was surprised—he had made it perfectly clear he liked fighting. His true identity was Achilles, the man who fought and died in a war only to gain glory, immortal glory. While crushing the golems with his spear, he couldn't help but remember those bygone times and how each swing of his blade ended the life of many good men.

This war wasn't any different. There were Masters and warriors, and this city was their battlefield. He didn't care about victims. In any war there were casualties, simple as that. Then, once he smashed the last golem in front of him, he waited for the next wave, a smirk on his face.

Yet it never come. Roots came up from underground, trapping the golems and seconds later destroyed them.

"It seems I finished in time."

He turned and saw Assassin standing along with her Master.

"No matter what, you never cease to amaze me, Assassin," Shirou said with a smile.

"I do what I can."

Shirou noticed Rider glaring at him, certain he was angry he couldn't continue the brawl. He decided to ignore him and looked at the destruction the remaining golems were causing. There were still hundreds running amok around the city. As the Red Faction continued to stare at the carnage, they heard footsteps coming at them.

Shirou Kotomine was no doubt an evil and manipulative man. He would kill all the Masters and use the Servants he stole from them to achieve his ambition without any feelings of guilt or remorse. The fact his wish seemed to be good didn't make him any better. But, while seeing the people being slaughtered, he couldn't help but feel the need to do something. After all, he used to be a hero.

"Rider, as you want to keep fighting, feel free to exterminate the golems."

Rider's eyes widened in surprise before he smiled. He didn't answer him back, instead running at a nearby group of golems.

"Archer, support him. Assassin, come with me." He turned to Karna and his Master. "Gene, you are free to do as you please."

"It's not like I have many choices," the blue-haired man complained.

Shirou was about to answer when Karna spoke.

"We will stay."

He looked at him, not really understanding what he meant, but decided to leave him be. The moment they were alone, Karna sighed.

"You can come out," Karna said as he pointed his spears towards a tree.

Saber of Black appeared in front of them, sword in hand, and without words he dashed at Karna. The two black blades clash with each other. The fact that the spearman was able to stop his attack made Saber of Black smile.

* * *

In the middle of the city, Atosaki and Lance watched in horror as the golems began to attack innocents. The Servant changed into his armor and began to protect the panicking people while being supported by his Master.

The blue spearman continued to destroy each of the golems at great speed, but they were still too many of them.

"Sowilo!" Atosaki called out while drawing the letter S with her index finger and shooting a ball of fire toward one of the golems.

The rock being was reduced to ashes, but at that very moment, another appeared behind her and prepared to smash her into the ground. Lance wouldn't make it over in time. Before the rock fist touched her, a mace destroyed the golem and Atosaki saw a girl with pink hair wearing a wedding dress. She recognized her as the Berserker who had fought against Leo, Breno and Kage.

At her side was a kid wearing glasses. She was actually relieved by seeing he was fine after Kage shot him in the chest. Lance ran to her side, ready to fight if needed, but Caules didn't seem to pay him any attention.

"It seems Darnic's plan failed. At this rate the city will be destroyed," he said with a sigh as Berserker looked at him, expecting his order. "Be careful, Berserker."

He gave her a small smile, making the bride blush as she ran at the golems.

"You sure are a lady-killer." Rider of Black appeared behind him.

"It's not like that, Rider," He turned to Atosaki. "Let's cooperate to destroy these golems. Don't worry, I don't have any intention of fighting with you."

Atosaki knew he was supposed to be an enemy, but he just helped her, and she knew that if he had wanted to kill her he could have, as there were two Servants on his side.

"Alright, let's work together. For the sake of these people."

"My name is Caules."

She showed a careful, tentative smile. "Hi, I'm Atosaki. Atosaki Kurokawa."

* * *

In the castle of the White Faction, Rider was laughing like crazy as she summoned cannons around her and blew the golems away. Archer supported her with his arrows, but the greatest force against the golems were the two berserkers crushing them without mercy.

The two Alices looked at how a crimson giant destroyed everything in his path. They smiled innocently as they viewed the bizarre spectacle in front of them.

"Keep up the game, Jabberwock!" the black Alice yelled, raising her fist.

The other Berserker moved along with a tanned girl with long gray hair wearing glasses and a white lab coat over a purple Indian dress.

He was a big man with red hair and armor with the face of a dragon on its chest. He wielded a halberd with such strength that one swing was enough to reduce the ten golems in front of him to dust.

Dan saw the fight from the bed of his room. The wound Kage had inflicted on him hadn't healed and he couldn't move yet. One more hit could mean death. He wondered where their so-called leader was, his brother too.

Unknown to him, Leo was jumping across the buildings with Gawain. Truth to tell, Leo was following his Servant. They had been fighting the golems when Gawain saw a bright red flare of light, and immediately he knew the identity of the person who had unleashed such power.

He'd knelt in front of Leo and implored him, "My king, please let me go to face an old foe I need to defeat."

Leo looked at him for a few seconds, forgetting about the fight in front of him.

"Alright, but I will go with you."

"As you command."

Mordred had felt the presence of a fellow knight and told her Master to wait. She knew who was coming and how strong he was. She had always wanted to fight him during the day. Many said that while sun was at its zenith, he was unbeatable.

"Hey Master, what time is it?" she asked.

Kairi looked at his wristwatch, a little confused by her question.

"Two in the afternoon."

This only made her smile. She decided not to put her helmet back on, as there was no point in hiding her identity. He would recognize her anyway.

In the next second, she saw a silver figure coming along with a blond boy. In the next three seconds, he was almost in front of her.

"Mordred!" he yelled, full of rage.

"Good to see you Gawain," she said as an excited smile appeared on her face.

The moment the holy swords met, the roof of the building shattered. Both Masters could only remain on its edges and observe the battle between knights unfold.

The clash ended in a draw, but instead of continuing, Gawain turned back and grabbed Leo and jumped to a nearby building.

"My king, please, for your own safety, remain here."

Mordred landed at his side along with her Master, who raised an objection.

"I thought you said you wouldn't carry me ever again!"

"Yeah, but I want to fight him without any interruptions," she said as both Servants glared at each other and jumped back to the previous building.

Leo watched this, thinking it was a shame he couldn't see such a fight up-close. Then he turned to the necromancer.

"So sir, what should we do while waiting for them?" he asked with a smile, putting on his gloves.

"You really are a cheeky brat, aren't you?" he returned as he loaded his shotgun. "Don't ask a question when you know the answer already."

On the other building, the two knights didn't notice that their Masters had begun to fight and continue to exchange blows at a breakneck speed.

They hacked at each other, but neither of them would back down. It wasn't just a matter of pride, either. They hated each other more than anything else. Mordred hated him because she believed him to be a mere dog that would follow her father without complaints, a man without ambition blinded by the illusion of a perfect ruler. On the other hand, Gawain hated her for two reasons, the first that she was the reason for the fall of his former king. She had led the revolution which destroyed Britain. The second was more banal. Her face and voice resembled Arturia's so much that it made his blood boil. Her very existence destroyed the image he had of her.

"That all you got, Gawain?"

"With that face! With that voice! Don't you dare speak in front of me!"

Gawain managed to push Mordred back, but only for a second. She dashed at him once again, and the two knights entered into a burst of crimson and silver light which destroyed everything them.

* * *

In another part of the city, flames and steel continued to clash. The two Sabers fought, careful not to intervene with their Masters' business. Arturia was surprised. Nero was able to fight on par with her, and she didn't seem to have been forced to serve her Master. She didn't feel she was a bad person. Maybe she didn't have honor, but she wasn't the type of Servant to do evil.

"Why do you serve such an evil master?" Arturia asked as the golden and crimson blades collided.

Nero tightened the grip on her sword and looked at Arturia with eyes full of hate. She remembered what her Master had told her back in their world.

"Maybe they are right, maybe I am a monster, maybe I'm evil." He then turned toward her with a smile. "But if that's the price to pay so I won't lose anyone ever again, the price to protect them, then it's not that bad."

She pushed Arturia back with a strength she hadn't felt before.

"Don't you ever dare call my Praetor evil, you poor excuse for a king. He has withstood at least ten times more suffering than you."

Arturia was frozen by her words, the resolution of which almost making her wonder if they were fighting the right person. But only for a second. She had recognized his flames as the ones she saw along with Shirou three days ago.

Nero swung her blade three times. Arturia dodged each of the slashes and closed the distance between them, ready to slice into her. The moment she got close enough, her adversary raised her arms into the sky.

"Aestus Domus Aurea!"

Both Servants were engulfed by crimson light.

Edward saw the light as he blocked another one of Shirou's attacks.

"I told her to calm down." He looked at his opponent. "Arturia must have pissed her off."

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise.

"You… You know Saber?" he asked in disbelief.

"Kind of. We fought against her, but she was a Berserker then." He smiled at the memory. "And my Saber beat her."

Shirou was speechless. The mysteries surrounding the guy in front of him just kept multiplying.

"Well, you never answered me. Who are you?"

Shirou thought for a second before replying.

"Shirou Emiya."

Edward's eyes widened.

"Emiya…?" He was really surprised. "Your father is Kiritsugu Emiya?"

This time it was Shirou's turn to be surprised.

"I will take that as a yes. So tell me, little bro, why do you want to fight me so badly?"

Shirou ignore the "little bro" part and answered him.

"You killed innocent people!"

He ran at Edward, who sighed knowing he couldn't keep fighting for too long, not yet recovered from all the damage Pleiades had inflicted upon him. He wondered why he was being accused of killing innocent people. Sure he wasn't a saint, but he wasn't a murderer either.

"I haven't killed anyone."

"I saw the hell you created!"

"Why do you even care?"

"Who gave you the right to kill those people?!"

Edward pushed him back. He couldn't help but think that the boy in front of him was too naïve and remembered the ideal of his dad to become a hero of justice—an ideal he had rejected. But what made him angry was Shirou talking like that when he didn't know anything at all. He'd really wanted to help those people, he didn't wish for their deaths, and he regretted not being able to kill Pleiades.

"Shut up! Where were you when those people were in trouble?!" He grabbed Shirou's black sword with his crimson claw and broke it. "Don't seek revenge for those you failed to save!"

He punched him in the face with his right hand.

Shirou fell to the ground. The next second he stood, breathing heavy.

"Guided by experience…"

Edward got a bad feeling and readied himself.

"Production complete. Complete Trace… Standby!"

Thirty Noble Phantasms appeared at his side, ready to fire.

"What the…?"

"Complete Trace, Continuous Fire!"

"Crimson Aegis!"

The moment the blazing shield clashed against the swords it almost shattered. It could withstand the first ten, but the others cut through the flames and through his skin.

"Never forget you were born from flames!" he shouted as he pushed what remained of the shield out like a wall and used it to deflect the rest of the blades coming at him.

It wasn't enough. The blades destroyed the wall and broke through. He waited with his crimson blades in his hands.

"Crimson Inferno!"

Shirou jumped to one side, barely dodging the slash of flames, but even so they managed to burn his left side.

The two fighters looked at each other.

"You talk too much for a sinner, Shirou."

"What are you talking about?"

"Both of us traded the lives of those people for ours in that fire ten years ago. We ran and abandoned others crying for help. What can we be besides sinners?"

Shirou didn't know how he knew about the fire, and he didn't really care.

"Shut up! It's true that I'm a sinner, but that's why I decided to save people, to save others in order to make up for those I couldn't save back there!"

"Wrong. You are just being selfish, unable to bear the guilt. If you want to make it up to them so badly, live a fulfilling life for those who aren't able to live their own. Smile, hate, love, live because of those who can't!"

"You're talking as if helping others is a mistake!" Shirou answered, rushing at him with his twin blades.

"It is if you forget the ones close to you to protect them!" Edward yelled back as they began to exchange blows with one another.

"I'm not forgetting anyone! I just want to help others!"

"Kiritsugu wanted the same, but the cruel reality is that we can't help everyone. So at least I will protect those important to me!"

"And you're calling me selfish? You're just afraid of being alone."

"At least it's better than living for a dream!"

* * *

The King of Heroes couldn't deny he was impressed. Even without his sanity, the instincts and power of the thunder god were first class.

He continued to shoot Noble Phantasms at him while seated on his throne of his ark, the Vimana, as Thor flew at lighting speed, reflecting them with ease using his hammer.

Kirsche thought it an impressive battle, as there were few heroes able to fight on par with Gilgamesh. Still, she couldn't help feeling ignored by both Servants as they began to fight. But, for one, it wasn't time for her to use all her power. After all, there had to be some use of it for her so-called teammates.

As the Servants continue to clash a blast of flame came at her but she noticed and recognized them almost immediately. She glanced at the magus and chuckled at the irony of the situation.

"Impressive," he said. "It's an honor to fight such a powerful magus."

"A surprise attack…? That is surprising considering what I remember of you. Or perhaps not…"

Tokiomi didn't seem affected by her words, but the very moment he saw her face, his expression clearly changed.

"Sakura?"

Kirsche chuckled his side, Tokiomi didn't understand how a future version of his daughter could be before him, but after learning that there was also a future Rin, he only assumed it was a miracle produced by Gaea.

"…that name lost its meaning long ago father. I am Kirsche von Einzbern now."

Tokiomi felt the power coming from her and couldn't help but smile out of pride.

"It seems that giving you away to develop your talents was the right choice after all." Tokiomi said while observing how his daughter had developed. Still, something was off. He had given her to the Matous but according to her name, she was part of the Einzbern family.

"I shall test you, Sakura." A red circle appeared in front of him. "Intensive Einäscherung!"

A torrent of flames came at Kirsche who danced to the side before rolling her eyes. Her shadow extended behind her in a wide field, and Tokiomi's eyes widened as white uniformed figures with gleaming halberds emerged from it and stood at attention behind him.

"Father…" she said icily. "…I am First among Equals within the Association. You wouldn't stand a chance against me. But if you want to fight, then I shall indulge your taste for violence. These battle homunculi should be sufficient."

* * *

Back in the city, the two Masters of the Sabers continued to cut and burn each other, both facing each other barely able to stand. Edward had deep gashes all over while Shirou had heat blisters covering him.

"This is all you can accomplish following that dream?" Edward demanded to know.

Shirou glared at him. His words made him angry, maybe because he sounded like Archer, saying his ideal was nothing but a dream. And he already knew that, but that was the very reason he continued to believe in it.

"I know it's nothing but a dream, but that's what makes it so beautiful!" Shirou yelled as they ran at each other.

"Beautiful words can't save anyone!"

They clashed, unable to make the other fall back.

"No matter what, to lose someone important to you is never worth it!"

Their blades broke, and instead of creating new ones Shirou punched Edward in the face with a reinforced fist.

"I know that! That's why I will protect everyone. I will sacrifice this life to make sure everybody can be happy!"

Edward stood his ground and answered with a knee to Shirou's stomach.

"Then what about the people who love you?!" He saw Shirou fall to his knees. "Do you think your sacrifice will bring them happiness? Little bro, it's easy to die for something, but what's hard to do is live."

Edward knew from experience. He remembered all the times he had made Nero cry. Many times, no matter how much he wanted her to smile, he continued to make her worry by being reckless, and no matter the result, it didn't make up for seeing her saddened.

Shirou could understand his words. By sacrificing his life he would leave the people sad. The people who wanted him to live. He remembered Rin crying while holding him by the shirt, worried about him and afraid that he would end up dead following that path.

Both had very valid opinions, and neither was going to back down. At this point, Shirou had forgotten the reason the fight had begun. Now, he just wanted to defeat the man in front of him and prove he wasn't wrong.

Shirou stood up and looked at the young man with the crimson eyes. He knew about the fire. He had been a survivor, both wanted to protect others, both were twisted beings. They were very similar, but each had made a different choice about life. One decided to live for the sake of others while the other wanted to protect those close to him to avoid being alone. One wanted to protect everyone and the other wanted to protect a few. Their ideals clashed with each other. While focusing on the few one could not protect many, and while protecting many one would be unable to protect just a select few.

The steel and the flame that were supposed to be in harmony wanted to destroy each other. But even then they harbored no hatred.

"Shirou, I didn't kill those people. I was attacked along with a teammate by a Counter Guardian. Apparently she wasn't supposed to, but still did it. In order to cover the attack, she destroyed all the nearby houses. After the fight, I burned the dead bodies to make sure she couldn't do anything else to them."

Shirou's eyes widened. He searched for any hint of deceit but couldn't find any. His instincts were telling him that the person in front of him was telling the truth.

Now, there was something on Edward's mind he wanted to confirm.

"You remember them?"

"What?"

"You remember your previous life? Your real parents, your friends, anything?"

Shirou remained silent, unable to answer.

"So you forgot… "

In that moment, a pillar light appeared off to the side and Arturia emerged, tired after using Excalibur, and Nero was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this, Edward's eyes went round.

"Saber…" he whispered.

* * *

Leo Wells was having trouble with Bazett. The Enforcer was so fast that Leo could barely dodge her attacks. That wasn't all, she was really strong, almost to the point Leo wondered if she was human.

"Well, I'm not one to talk," he said as he dodged another kick.

Odysseus wasn't doing any better. It was a shame he didn't have any other weapon besides his bow, as he could only block with it, and against a Servant specialized in close combat it was the worst.

"Curse my luck," he muttered as he jumped and shot another volt of energy.

"Come, don't be like that. You are pretty good for a bowman!" Lancer answered with a smirk.

The volt of energy turned into an axe, one that Lancer blocked. Odysseus smiled because he never expected him to get hit; it was all part of his scheme. Lancer jumped after him and swung his spear. The bowman managed to block in time but was sent crashing into the floor.

Lancer got ready for the kill, but as he came closer, an axe was swung at him. He barely dodged and saw Odysseus stand with two axes in his hands.

"The battlefield is ready," he said with a smile.

Telemachus, the bow he received from his friend Heracles, bore the name of his son. It was the very bow he had used to slay the suitors of his wife when he returned home. He could fire fifteen bolts of energy that turned into axes on the moment of impact. Fifteen axes for the fifteen suitors he had killed, but in this case, he had missed those fifteen shots. Now the axes were lying on the street and were ready for him to use to fight in close combat.

Lancer hadn't notice the scheme. He, like many in the past, had fallen for the tricks of the Greek.

"Interesting. This shall be fun!"

On the other end, Leo had managed to punch Bazett, but the blow didn't hurt her much. She readily countered with her own fist, making Leo crash into one of the light posts. Still, she didn't notice at the moment of the impact, Leo had twisted her arm ninety degrees.

Bazett was about to run at him once again when her entire body began to vibrate. Her vision become blurry and she begun to feel nauseous. Leo used the opening to throw an uppercut at her.

"Resonance Punch," he said in a whisper as he threw a second strike to her abdomen and made her fall to the ground.

That was an attack which, after the punch, created vibrations in the target that would stop only when they hit the floor.

He used a lot of strength, expecting to do some damage, but the Enforcer just stood and spat some blood and got ready to continue.

"Okay, you have to be kidding me! That last blow should have at least broken a few ribs!"

Bazett looked at him for a few seconds and answered, "It did, but I have gone through worse."

"And I thought the priest was tough."

* * *

A crimson knight and a silver knight continued to duel, each strike meant to kill. This was no longer a battle between true knights. There was no honor, no respect. It was just a fight full of violence.

Mordred was pretty beat up while Gawain, if nothing else, was tired. The protection of the sun didn't let him get hurt, but he could get physically worn down. Mordred was fuming with rage. She had expected him to be strong, but this was ridiculous.

The only reason she was still breathing was that Gawain's blind hatred made his movements sloppy. Still, another part of her couldn't shake the excitement she felt fighting against such an opponent.

She needed to finish this. Her sword began to glow just like moments ago.

"Clarent…"

Gawain saw this and got ready to counter with his own sword.

"Excalibur…"

Two columns of light, one red and the other silver, appeared in the sky, each representing the ultimate attack of both knights.

"…Blood Arthur!"

"…Galatine!"

A golden sun and a scarlet beam clashed in the middle of the building, reducing it to nothing but rubble as the clash sent the two knights flying off to different sides. The explosion clouded the area, but the two figures exited the smoke and landed atop different buildings.

They glared at each other. The battle was far from over, but as they were about to proceed, they felt a tremor in the ground and they saw something emerge that made them stop their fight.

* * *

"A Gorgon and a Pegasus…" Ginevra muttered as she flew through the air and dodged a second wave of Broken Phantasms, returning fire with lightning bolts this time as opposed to beams. "…This just isn't my day."

Sighing, she landed on a nearby building and walked several steps to give space for the Pegasus to land. A moment later, Archer jumped onto the building and sped towards her with dual falchions at the ready, only to cry out as Ginevra blasted him and held him back with lightning. Rider threw one of her stakes at Ginevra, forcing the Sixth Faction Supervisor to cease fire to dodge. The other stake was hurled at Archer, who was prevented from resuming his attack.

"Rider…!" he shouted. "What are you…?"

"That's enough, the two of you." Rider said quietly but forcefully. "There's no need for us to fight." She faced Ginevra. "You wish to talk, don't you?"

"A Counter Guardian who is of the Archer class and a Gorgon," Ginevra replied with a shrug. "I may be on par with a Caster-class, but I know when I'm outmatched. I'd have settled down immediately if Archer there didn't keep on attacking."

"Considering how much collateral damage and the lives you've taken…" Archer began, only for Ginevra to break out laughing.

"Oh that's funny," Ginevra finally said after her laughter subsided. "A Counter Guardian lecturing me on killing people… Archer, you don't have the right to do that."

"Who are you?"

"The Supervisor of the Sixth Faction: Ginevra du Lac."

"I call bullshit."

"Call it bullshit if you want, but it's still the truth," Ginevra said with another shrug. "I have many names, all of which are true, but just like clothes they are each used whenever appropriate. Isn't that right, EMIYA?"

"Bastard…!" Archer hissed, hefting his falchions and causing Rider to tense as she dismounted.

"Must you be so abrasive, Supervisor?" Rider asked as she approached and gave a warning look to Archer.

Ginevra snorted. "The hypocrisy of the Counter Guardians is well-known to me. I find this particular Counter Guardian particularly distasteful."

"I see," Rider said and then she sighed. "You've changed a lot, and not necessarily for the better. You are less like the girl I know, or her sister, and more like our Caster instead."

"Oh…" Ginevra said with evident curiosity. "…that sounds interesting. Does your Caster happen to look like me, sans the eyes and pointed ears?"

"And if I said yes, what would you say?" Archer replied, and Ginevra laughed again.

"Oh that's right, now I remember: despite being a good-for-nothing dog and a faker, you also did have something of a sense of humor. As for that question, I would respond with one of my own: did those girls you mention happen to be estranged sisters?"

"They are," Rider answered. "What of you and your sister?"

"We keep in touch," Ginevra said, completely unaffected by the question. "She plays peacemaker between me and that idiot she loves. That idiot… he's going to break her heart eventually. I don't even have to lift a finger to make it happen, it is…inevitable."

Archer's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed. "He's an idiot is he?"

"Yes he is," Ginevra replied while looking off into the distance. "Someone who always tries to play the hero…"

"Supervisor du Lac…" Rider began hesitantly. "…no, Supervisor Sakura. what happened to you?"

"I'm guessing you're the Servant of one of my counterparts, aren't you?" Ginevra noted clinically, and Rider nodded. "Easy enough to answer; according to Zelretch's data, I became the youngest Master to ever fight in any Holy Grail War at the age of six, and in doing so avoided the fate that awaited my other selves."

"Your Servant was that witch, wasn't she?" Archer asked, and Ginevra raised an eyebrow.

"That witch also happens to be my mother," she replied coldly. "Watch your language Dog of Alaya, or I'll rip your head off and present it to His Majesty."

"Humph," Archer sneered. "You can try."

The atmosphere tensed, and then a terrible presence shook the air.

"…What the hell?" Archer said.

Their eyes widened as something that should not be came to be.

"Oh hell," Ginevra said with an eye twitching. "…we… are in serious trouble."

"Way to go with the understatement, Sakura," Archer commented, also sweating at the sight of it.

"Shut up."

"We'll just have to finish this conversation later," Rider said, and this time both Archer and Ginevra snorted.

"Assuming there's a later," Archer said darkly.

"Hear, hear," Ginevra concurred.

* * *

the longest chapter i have ever wrotte but cant be helped. Makes your guess about the one appearing in the end and before any complain Nero is capable to match Arturia inside Domus aurea as the theater increse all her stats to A+


	17. Chapter 16 Knights

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 16 Knights

In the underground battle between the two killers, Assassin of White had taken the lead. No matter how many horrors Caster of Zero created, he just smashed through them, not showing any sign of fatigue.

"This is boring," Assassin said. "Such weak opponents will only serve to dull my fist. I guess this is all a man who fell into depravity is capable of."

Without hearing an answer, the assassin rushed at him and prepare to smash his skull with his Noble Phantasm, "No Second Strike."

Black blades came from the ground, aiming to kill the enemy and protect their master. Assassin dodged them easily and positioned himself in front of the spellcaster.

Gilles de Rais was completely caught off guard by the ability of the Chinese man and, guided by what remained of the instincts he had developed as a soldier, used his book as a shield to protect himself.

The timing was perfect. Even the assassin couldn't change the trajectory of his fist in time, and it only managed to collide with the tome.

But that was the worst possible outcome. "No Second Strike" wasn't a normal attack, rather, a blow that destroyed anything it hit, disrupting the very flow of life coursing through it. In the case of humans, the circulation of blood and other processes; for Servants, mana. Normally when it touched an object, the object would be destroyed and that would be end of it, but as this tome was a Noble Phantasm, something different happened.

Caster of Zero was sent flying to one of the walls of the sewers.

"Tch. I missed," Assassin said, angry.

Caster stood up and looked at his tome and saw the big mark Assassin's fist left behind. In that moment, the tome began to emit a dark glow. Assassin's fist had broken the flow of mana inside the tome and made it go into overdrive. Tentacles sprouted from the tome, surprising both Servants, and began to overwhelm the spellcaster.

Assassin jumped back to his Master and both watched in shock how the other pair was devoured by the tentacles before becoming a monster they couldn't describe as anything more than a horror.

* * *

Antares watched along with Kaus and Pleiades from the sky how a monster emerged below, seeming ready to destroy everything. The crimson knight knew that if this continued, the city would be demolished, and without a proper arena the War would be boring.

As he continued to think, Situla appeared behind him, seeming a little tired.

"Hey Antares, I just finished evacuating the city."

Kaus and Pleiades were surprised at the statement. There were a great amount of people and to take them somewhere else could be dangerous for the war.

"How did you even do that?" Pleiades asked.

"I have my ways," Situla answered and then turned to Antares. "What do we do now?"

"Let the participants take care of this," he said as he descended to one of the buildings to watch how this would unfold. The others followed.

Pleiades had bandages all over her body and her right arm was still burnt from the slash she had received from the Hellhound. She wanted to kill him and Kousuke so badly for humiliating her, but she couldn't. Antares had warned her that if she tried anything funny again he would personally reduce her to dust. But there were other means of killing them.

There were two reasons behind his decision, the first being the oath. Before anything they were Counter Guardians and the order of Alaya came before all else. The second was that the two Masters along with Gilgamesh and many others had caught his attention. He would use this war to determine who was the strongest and the one he would face when the war was over. For that, he didn't want any intervention.

* * *

The two Masters of the Sabers looked at the monster. Arturia recognized the horror as the Caster she had fought in the Fourth War. But in a way she was mistaken, in her time the monster had a conscience, controlled by the desire of the spellcaster to murder and revolt against God, but this time it was a mindless creature that wanted to destroy everything.

Arturia looked back at the young man with crimson eyes and got ready to attack him until Shirou stopped her.

"It's over Saber, we won. There are more important things to do," he said as the two began to walk away.

"Running away?"

Arturia stopped and turned to see her red counterpart on the roof where they had been fighting.

"How?!" She couldn't understand.

Nero took a small bow.

"Such an artist like me can feign her own death."

Arturia's eyes grew wider at her words as she remembered what happened inside the theater.

The two Sabers had been evenly matched. This was a surprise for Arturia, as when they first clashed she could feel she was stronger.

It wasn't strength alone, either. Speed, endurance, all were amplified, and Nero had begun to push her back.

"Ready to repent for calling my Praetor evil?" Nero asked with a smirk.

"He may not be evil, but I can recognize a cursed man when I see one."

Arturia expected another outburst of rage, but instead Nero just laughed.

"So?" she said with a smile, surprising Arturia. "So what if he is cursed? So what if this world rejects him? I have proclaimed as the emperor I am that I shall remain at his side 'til the very end, and if he is truly cursed then the two of us can burn in hell together."

Arturia couldn't say anything in response, though she felt some admiration for the relation the two shared.

"I see. Then out of respect, I shall eliminate you with my strongest attack."

Her blade began to glow and a golden whirlwind appeared around her.

Nero raised her hands and whispered a few words Arturia didn't manage to catch because of the wind. The next moment, flames surrounded her.

"Ex…"

"Fax…"

"…calibur!"

"…Caelix!"

Crimson flames and a golden beam clashed in the middle of the theater, and Arturia's attack apparently managed to consume the flames and the Servant clad in red, but only apparently.

Before Arturia could demand any answers at present, the Masters interrupted her.

"Calm down you two. We have bigger problems," Shirou said.

They two swordswomen glared at each other, one with a frown and the other a smirk. It was obvious those two wouldn't get along. One was an example of nobility and honor while the other was an example of excess and pride.

"Alright Shirou, let's call a truce until that monster is…" Edward didn't finish as they felt another presence coming. "Little brother, I'm entrusting this to you."

"What?"

"You're a hero of justice, right? Prove to me you are by protecting the people of the city!"

Shirou just nodded and the pair began to run toward the monster.

"Shirou, next time we meet, I shall burn that ideal of yours. No matter what, I can't forgive that you forget."

Shirou stopped for a second and looked back at him before continuing as Saber grabbed him and jumped through the buildings. Once they were far away, Nero looked at her master and all the cuts he had on his body.

"You sure went easy on him, Praetor."

Edward answered with a smile as flames came from the cuts and sealed them.

"Well, he is family. Even if he is an idiot." He then put a hand over her head. "Don't worry me like that ever again."

Before she could reply, a gladiator appeared in front of them, ready to cut down the oppressor once and for all.

"How come this guy appears every time we have a moment?" Saber complained.

"I guess he must really hate kings in general." He turned to Berserker of Red. "We can't let him get Shirou. We need Arturia's Noble Phantasm to beat that… that thing."

Edward's hair turned crimson and the head of the hound appeared on his left arm.

"This time I will send you back to hell, Spartacus!"

* * *

Kousuke and his Caster arrived to the place where the being that used to be Caster of Zero emerged. They landed on a nearby building and looked with disgust at the monster, also noticing the great power coming from it.

"Tamamo, is that a Servant?"

"No." She carefully observed the beast in front of them. "But it used to be one. Now it's just a monster devoid of any reason. I can't believe such a monster interrupted our date!"

"It wasn't a date. We were destroying golems," Kousuke said with a sigh.

"Goshujin-sama, you didn't have to say it like that," she answered, pouting.

"Sorry. Tell you what, after we're done with this guy, I will take you somewhere nice," he said with a smile. "So can you beat him?"

Caster's eyes beamed with excitement.

"I will destroy anyone who dares stand between me and my beloved master!"

Before they could do anything, a black swordswoman appeared out of nowhere and swung her blade at Kousuke. It was so fast that the young magus couldn't react in time. Still, Caster put up her mirror between the two, and she glared at the Saber of Zero.

"You foul woman, you intend to hurt my master?!" she yelled as the shield pushed her back.

Kousuke was about to help her when his instincts screamed at him to turn. He did so while drawing his sword, just in time to block the attack of a priest's Black Keys aiming at him. Kousuke recognized the priest as the supervisor of the War in his world.

"Kirei Kotomine," he said with disdain, not particularly fond of the man.

He pushed him back and pointed his index finger at him.

"Rikujo…"

The sound of a gun being fired prevented him from finishing. Kousuke turned and saw the barrage of bullets coming at him, shot by the Magus Killer.

The reason behind the actions of the two Masters was simple. Caster's monstrous form was a threat, no doubt about it, but it was also an asset. The being was uncontrollable but also powerful. They could use its rampage to take out all the remaining Masters or at least weaken them enough to kill them. In the worst case scenario, Kiritsugu could use his Saber's Noble Phantasm to destroy the monster. It was a fact that it would destroy the city, and he really hated to be the cause of death for so many innocent people.

Not to be misunderstood, though he hated the fact he needed to resort to such methods, this had been his path throughout his entire life: to kill one to save ten, ten to save a hundred, and so on. If a city had to be sacrificed in order to save the rest of the world, in order to stop all wars and for everyone to be happy, then so be it.

Kirei didn't share such sentiments and couldn't help but feel happy seeing all the destruction the monster that used to be a Heroic Spirit created. His reason for intervening was so no one could stop it. He wanted to see the despair in the faces of the other contestants as they realized they were doomed. In other words, he wanted to see them lose hope.

Kirei smiled as he saw the bullets about to hit Kousuke, but that smile faded when shadows sprung from the floor and blocked all of them. At that very moment, the Magus Killer jumped to one side and dodged a separate rain of bullets and turned to see the shooter. His eyes widened upon seeing a young man who resembled him.

"I found my target," Kage said as he reload his Calico.

He, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised at all. He only saw his enemies, targets to be killed. Just like the Magus Killer, he was like a machine. As Kiritsugu stood up, Kage looked around and saw the remaining forces of Kirei's Assassins appear around them.

"Assassin, eliminate the opposition," he said, emotionless, to his own Servant as he prepared to fight against the Magus Killer.

With Kage's support, Kousuke could focus on defeating the enemy in front of him fast, and then they could take care of Caster. A katana and a pair of Black Keys began to clash in harmony with the sound of guns being fired, bullets deflecting each other.

* * *

Karna and Saber of Black continued to exchange blows at an amazing speed, neither caring if they got hit. Each had an ability that made them unable to sustain damage unless in great amounts. Gene looked at this and decided to not intervene, as he'd probably just end up dying.

Even now, Karna couldn't feel anything from Saber's sword: there was no will or soul. His strikes were strong, but he knew there was something wrong with the knight he was fighting. No knight would hide like that, and all of them possessed great drive.

He managed to push back.

"You are a boring man, silver knight," Karna said with disdain as his left eye began to glow.

A crimson beam came from it, a beam of pure power with its only purpose being to destroy the enemy in front of him.

"Brahmastra!" Karna yelled.

The swordsman's smile had faded just after the first clash and he fought like a robot. He didn't like it, but he obeyed the orders he received. His real identity was Siegfried, the great hero of Germany, an invincible knight whose legend was as famous as King Arthur's. He was a very loyal person who would obey the order of his master whether he liked it or not. He had been ordered to gauge the power of the Lancer of the Red Faction, though he didn't know the reason behind it. Still, as his aim was only to test the waters, he wasn't allowed to fight seriously. It was a shame that a knight of his caliber had such a cowardly master.

Really, it was a shame he belonged to the Black Faction in the first place, as his real wish was to be an ally of justice, an ally of the people. He didn't care about the Grail, he didn't want to fight for his lord or for himself; he wanted to fight for the justice he believed in.

In such a group that wanted to win for their means, it wasn't possible, but it wasn't to say that the Black Faction was evil. They just aimed for victory like any other being would do in their position. It was human nature. But that very nature went against his wish, so he remained silent and only hoped that at the end he could achieve his dream.

As the beam continued to come closer, he raised his sword.

"O sword, let thee be filled," he said in a whisper as the weapon began to emit a twilight aura.

The light swelled around the sword, ready to unleash its power.

"Balmung!" he yelled.

He shouldn't have used his Noble Phantasm, but as a sign of respect for such a pathetic fight he decided to do so.

He swung his blade and released a wave of dusky energy in a semicircle around him, cutting the crimson beam in half.

The light hit Karna and his Master before the former could even react, destroying the church as well.

Saber of Black looked at the destruction he had just created, not expecting his opponent to get back up, but then from the rubble that used to be the church, Karna stood with his Master on his back. Some cracks had formed in his armor and blood streamed from his forehead.

"To make me believe you weren't fighting serious so you could later set me up, really a despicable man. Still, I must admit, it's a good strategy." Karna summoned his spear and pointed at Saber. "Come make this fight worth it."

* * *

Gilgamesh didn't seem to care about the monster, just like the golems it was something that didn't deserve his attention, after all the God of Thunder had proven to be more interesting prey. Thor didn't share his thoughts. The moment the monster appeared the King of Heroes turned into a secondary target, for as always he wanted to protect humanity.

"Well done, Thunder God, no wonder you were considered the strongest of the Aesir," Gilgamesh stated.

It wasn't a mistake. Many legends told that Ragnarök, the end of the world for the Norse gods, happened because he had decided to leave Asgard and abandon his kind. Without their champion they couldn't stop the invasion of the giants, Ragnarök began.

Thor dashed at Gilgamesh at lightning-fast speed, dodging and blocking every weapon coming at him until he stood ready to strike and end the battle. Before he could finish it, he was confined by Enkidu, the heavenly chains, the most trusted weapon of Gilgamesh.

"You were close, mongrel, but don't feel bad. It is the destiny of all beings on this earth to fall against me," Gilgamesh said with satisfaction.

The outcome was decided. No god could escape from those chains. He couldn't move. Still, Thor smiled at the King of Heroes and the latter felt danger, but it was too late. Gilgamesh had made a huge mistake. He didn't notice that Thor had his hammer up when he wrapped the chains around him.

"Alfheim!" Thor yelled as lighting came from the skies and struck the golden Servant.

The chains left Thor's body as Gilgamesh fell into the roof of one of the nearby buildings along with the Vimana. He remained there for a second before standing with a face full of rage.

"You dare to look down on me!"

In that moment, he pulled out a weapon that resembled a blade, but it couldn't be labeled like that either. Even with a grip, a hand guard and a length of a long sword, rather than having a blade it was composed of a cylindrical, drill-shaped pillar divided into three sections. It was the king's greatest treasure, the sword that separated heaven and earth and turned chaos into order.

"Wake up, Ea. There is a fool who needs your judgment."

Thor could feel the power coming from it and decided to counter using a weapon with power proportional to it. Another clap of thunder came from behind him as the two Servants looked at each other. Ea's three segments began to rotate, forming a crimson whirlwind around Gilgamesh, while Thor's hammer was wrapped in lighting.

"Enuma Elish!"

"Mjolnir!" Thor yelled as he threw his hammer towards the oncoming beam.

Thunder and the scarlet beam capable of destroying the world clashed in the sky.

This was a clash of power and will between two Servants who, at the core, were very similar. Both had rejected their gods and decided to stand with humanity because of faith.

Yet such a spectacle had only one witness.

Kirsche looking impressed at the display of power from the Servants. The sound of a person being forced to the ground caught her attention and she turned to see her battered father being forced to his knees with her homunculi's blades at his throat and back.

Kirsche smiled and looked around at the smoking bodies of five homunculi: fully half a squad.

"Well done father…" she said while clapping her hands. "…you have fought well, but not enough to defeat an entire squad. As a reward I shall reveal a secret to you."

At this Kirsche walked closer and leaned down to his level. "I have touched the face of God." She whispered into his ear, and Tokiomi's eyes widened.

"That…you…you reached the Root."

Sakura chuckled and gestured for her homunculi to let him go. "I am First among Equals. Who or what would be allowed to stand alongside the Barthomeloi?" she asked.

Shadows flared around her and her homunculi as she teleported away, and leaving the awed, proud and yet humbled Tokiomi alone to get back to his feet.

It wasn't an act of kindness, he deserved to suffer more and there were more pressing matters at hand. In other words, he wasn't worthy of her time. She had already bested him, so she could kill him whenever she wanted.

* * *

Kairi was really beginning to wonder if the brat in front of him was human or not, he was faster than any other he had seen but he couldn't feel any magic coming from him.

He fired off his shotgun once again. He didn't use actual bullets, though. As a necromancer, he used fingers, mixing with them the concepts of a curse, the strength of a firearm and his powers. Such a deadly combination ended up shooting subsonic projectiles. Still the young Master managed to dodge them, even though barely.

Leo used this short opportunity to close the distance between the two. Kairi answered by reloading his shotgun, but he wouldn't finish in time. Instead of attacking him, he passed by Kairi's side and punched the golem that appeared behind him. Kairi was surprised, and after he finished reloading, he shot at another golem in front of him.

"It seems we have some visitors, my good sir."

Kairi was a practical man. It wasn't worth it to fight Leo and the golems at the same time. Helping each other out increased their chances of surviving.

"Yeah brat, let's finish with them first."

As they prepared themselves, they saw their Servants land nearby.

"Hey master, I will go fight with that monster over there. You don't mind, do you?" Mordred said with a grin, leaving before Kairi could answer.

"I don't get why she didn't wait. I wouldn't go even if she paid me."

Gawain was silent but Leo understood what he wanted to do.

"You are free to go Gawain, I will be fine."

"Thank you, my lord." Gawain bowed and followed Mordred.

The two knights jumped across the buildings. Neither liked the other and in any other situation they would just ignore the monster and continue their fight, but they could see its power was great and Gawain couldn't let it roam free to threaten his king. Mordred knew he wouldn't fight seriously, so she gave up for the moment. They could always continue later.

They moved through the city destroying whatever golems there were along the way until they arrived in front of the being that used to be a Servant. But in between them hundreds of terrible, twisted creatures appeared, blocking their path.

The two knights were ready, but a rain of blades came out of nowhere, killing a great amount of the horrors. They turned and saw Arturia along with Shirou.

The three knights didn't know how to react, but before any of them could speak they heard a roar, and a black-armored knight covered by mist appeared with his Master, Kariya.

"So you also came, Lancelot…" Arturia said with a sad smile

The crimson and silver knights were surprised at her statement.

"There is no time for explanations. But it seems we have a common goal."

Mordred laughed dryly.

"You better not get any funny ideas, 'Father.'" She spat at the word.

Gawain remained silent, but he knew Mordred was right. The trust between all of them was broken, the friendship that used to bond them replaced by hate.

"We used to be the Knights of the Round Table. All of us vowed to fight for the people," Arturia began. "I ask you all, not as a king but as a fellow knight, to fight together one last time."

Berserker looked at Arturia, about to attack her.

"By my Command Spell," said Kariya, "I order you Berserker to support your fellow knights and destroy that monster."

Berserker stopped and the mist disappeared and even as the helmet remained, Berserker revealed the mighty holy blade he had used in life.

Arturia put her sword in front of them as if she were waiting for their answer.

Berserker joined her with his black blade, Arondight.

Gawain was next and put in his Galatine.

"Don't misunderstand, Arturia, all this is to protect my king."

Mordred glared at them. She really didn't belong to that group, but she couldn't deny that she was happy being a knight.

"I guess there are too many distractions here to fight any of you," she said with a sigh as she placed her Clarent along with the other three holy swords.

For the first time in many centuries the strongest knights had reunited once again. They would ignore the hate they felt for each other, and the four swords separated by fate came together in order to fulfill an ancient oath: to protect the innocent and slay all evil.

"Get ready, Caster! Can your madness withstand the blades of the Knights of the Round Table?!" Arturia yelled as the four pointed their swords at the monster.

* * *

What are those idiots doing?" Ginevra said darkly as she used her viewing sphere to watch as the battle continued between Kage, Kiritsugu, and everyone else. "There's a True Demon on the loose, and they're still playing around? Idiots…!"

She summoned her staff and gestured to the monster summoned by Caster of Zero. "True Demons are supposed to be undefeatable by Humans…" she muttered before smiling. "…but I'm not completely Human. Let's give it a shot."

Once more the sky lit up behind her, the magic circles that generated her beams slightly angled to allow the beams to converge into a single, ravening lance of power. "Fire…" she whispered, and multiple beams seared out and focused into one struck the monster…and Ginevra's eyes widened in shock.

The beam carved into its target, but the monster managed to adapt and disperse the beam energy before it could penetrate too deeply. Waves of energy rippled outwards from the wound, scorching and burning the monster's flesh, but as the afterglow faded, Ginevra could see the wound and the burns beginning to heal. "…impossible…" she whispered in disbelief. "…that was A-rank High Thaumaturgy with a conceptual weight over three thousand years old…"

As if provoked by the attack, reality rippled around the monster, and its brood began to swarm outwards into the city. Ginevra ground her teeth in anger. "…don't get above yourself, monster!" she spat, and she hurled her staff down to the ground at a point where the ley-lines were the closest to the surface.

The bladed tip punched deep into the ground, and a moment later Ginevra landed hard on the ground beside it. The earlier battle with the Servants had drained her prana reserves considerably, and while it wasn't dangerous – yet – she would need some more to fight a True Demon and its spawn.

Snarling out a command, the ground shuddered before the ley-lines flashed brightly for an instant as the magus drained its mana dry without care for the long-term effect it would have on the land's spiritual welfare. Ginevra grabbed her staff and pulled it out of the ground, but turned as she felt someone approach from behind her: a purple-haired and purple-eyes girl dressed modestly in modern casual attire, looking at her with surprise and a little fear. "You look familiar…" Ginevra said distractedly, her mind focused on fighting the demonic army. "…we can talk later…if there's a later that is."

With those parting words, Ginevra soared back up into the sky as storm clouds began to gather and thunder rumbled. Sakura stared after her, feeling a strange sense of curiosity, familiarity, and strangely-enough, envy. In the shadows Zouken and Assassin also did likewise, while on the rooftop Caster looked up at the gathering storm with a perplexed expression. "That girl wasn't a Servant…" she said offhandedly to Kuzuki. "…but this storm…if it wasn't a Noble Phantasm, then she must have used Divine Words to summon it. But…that's not possible for modern magi…isn't it?"

* * *

The knights reunite once again against a demon. Just to clarify Thor against Gilgamesh end in a draw. Well not mutch to say in this chaper except make your bids on the winners and Please Review.


	18. Chapter 17 Path

Chapter 17 Path

As Kirsche continued to teleport through the city, she saw a pillar of flames go up at its heart. She recognized the owner and sighed. Even while tempted to let him be, she was also curious. Maybe she could finally get her answers.

When she arrived to the scene, she found a destroyed street, no surprise there, along with the Hellhound and his Servant fighting the same gladiator they almost defeated three days ago. She saw how Berserker smashed him into the floor and dashed at Saber, just to be stopped by crimson chains. She understood that part of his power: he used projection and reinforcement to give form to his flames. When she saw the chains begin to burn the skin of the gladiator, she was impressed, as he managed to keep the fire attribute after giving them shape.

Saber used the delay to slash the gladiator while running past him and grabbing her master, who was on his knees. Berserker broke the chains and prepare to run at them once again only for a bolt of pure power to strike him in the chest and sending him flying.

Edward and Nero were both breathing heavily. They had been fighting the giant for a while and just like last time nothing they did appeared to affect him enough. The fact that Nero was tired from her fight with Arturia didn't help. In moments like these she cursed the fact that the use of her Noble Phantasm was limited to just one per day, as it drained a great amount of her prana.

"Do you need a hand, Hellhound? Edward turned and saw Kirsche leaning against a nearby wall with her arms crossed.

He wanted to say many things, but he knew he didn't have the time.

"Free of charge? Coming from you, I didn't believe that was possible," he said with a weak grin.

"Who said anything about being free? It will be considered an expensive favor, so I think I can demand whatever I deem fair."

Edward laughed at her statement and Saber glared at her. It was obvious she didn't trust Kirsche.

"I really prefer the Sakura of my world, she was cuter," he said as he took a deep breath and saw the giant about to break out from the rubble Kirsche had buried him in. "Keep him still for ten seconds and I will show you two very interesting things."

Kirsche raised an eyebrow and looked at him for a moment before smiling.

"You manage to catch my interest, Hellhound. I shall give you ten seconds, but be warned that if what you show me isn't worth it, I shall demand something else."

"Whatever you say… Sakura."

Kirsche sighed and raised a finger before pointing it at Berserker, bombarding him with glowing bolts of pure power. It was keeping him back, but it was clear that Kirsche was merely toying with him from the bored expression on her face.

Edward smiled at this and decided to pay his part of the bargain. His arm began to glow, and Saber stared at him, concerned.

"I will be fine, don't worry."

"You better be. If you die, I will kill you."

He just smiled at her words.

"Never forget you were born of flames

Forsaken by heaven, cursed by hell

Yet I shall never regret my path

As I stand in Limbo, let my sins burn

Let this hell be my kingdom

Let my flames judge them all

Rise, my sanctuary of flames: Crimson Purgatory!"

Silver, black, and crimson circles of flame appeared around him. The three rings began to expand until they engulfed both Kirsche and Berserker as well.

"Impossible… a Reality Marble...?" she asked as she looked at the Hellhound.

"No, this place isn't my inner world. It's just the product of being unable to forget."

"I see…" She recovered from her surprise. "…So you are a survivor."

Kirsche had to admit, it was fitting for him. Instead of a world made of swords like Emiya, it was a world created from fire, a world that could only exist for the hound which watched over hell itself.

She looked around and realized the space was divided between the three flames. She was standing with Edward and Saber on the crimson part. To the left, there were destroyed houses and she could see the shadows of people burning, all the while calling for help that never came, as the black flames swallowed them whole. She looked to the right and saw houses that were intact but still engulfed by silver flames. It was like the underworld, heaven, hell and purgatory, and she couldn't help being impressed by the sight, a very interesting thing to see.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a mad roar, and she turned to see Spartacus coming at them with his sword in hand. Edward looked at him as silver and black flames appeared in order to stop the giant.

"Then this is the second interesting thing I will show you, Kirsche," he said, looking at her. "Be grateful. Usually I'm the only one allowed to see her like that."

Kirsche did not quite understand his words, but Edward continued.

"By my Command Seal I order you, Saber, to unleash your power: Imperial Privilege!"

Saber smiled at his command.

"Alright Praetor, in response to you showing me your beautiful flames, I shall show you all my power."

Her dress disappeared and was replaced by golden Roman armor with a red mantle over the shoulder. This was the final weapon she had at her disposal, her true form as a Saber. According to legend, her mother had poisoned her since childhood. After her mother died, she took the antidote with her to the grave, so since that day she was afflicted with headaches. Those headaches didn't let her live up to her full potential, so this ability was born.

It was in exchange for a Command Seal and only after using Aestus Domus Aurea that this ability could be unleashed.

Saber stood alongside her Master and pointed her blade at Spartacus, who had just finished breaking through the wall of flames.

"Saber, I can only maintain this place for ten minutes, so let's finish this quickly."

Saber nodded, and so the two Servants clashed. Kirsche teleported to one of buildings on the silver side to watch the spectacle.

* * *

On the buildings near the monster, the sound of clashing steel could be heard. Kousuke could barely keep with Kirei's speed and strength. He jumped back, trying to avoid another slash coming at him. When he landed, he saw three cuts on his chest over his kimono.

"All you got, Master of Caster?" Kirei asked with a smirk.

Kousuke sighed. It couldn't be helped. His eyes turned bright red, with three black mitsudomoe encircling the pupils. Kirei was about to dash again, but the next moment Kousuke, who was in front of him, disappeared. Kirei moved on reflex and turned with his Black Keys raised, barely able to block Kousuke's sword.

"Kyoka no magan," Kousuke said in a whisper.

Before Kirei could counterattack, Kousuke disappeared once again. After activating his eyes, he was now ten times stronger and faster. He moved around unleashing a series of high speed attacks on the priest, who couldn't block them and received cuts all over his body. He was still avoiding fatal blows, only by a narrow margin.

On the other hand, Kage and Kiritsugu were pretty much even. The two were very similar, to the point neither could anticipate the movements of the other. Both ran at each other while shooting everything they had and dodging the barrage of bullets coming at them.

While doing this, they finally passed each other. The moment they realized it, both turned and pointed their Calicos at the face of the opponent. The one who manage to pull the trigger first would win and the other would die, simple as that. When they did, no bullets came out. Both discarded their semi-automatics and said the name of the spell only the two of them could use.

"Time Alter!" Hearing the young man recite the same spell surprised Kiritsugu. "Double Accel."

Kage didn't seem terribly astonished. He knew this magic wasn't his own since it had been given to him by the Association. He didn't know the owner of the crest that was implanted in him nor did he care. Just like Kiritsugu, he only saw magic as a tool for his jobs. Their eyes met as they began a high-speed fight, Kage wielding his wrist knives while Kiritsugu took out his knife and readied his Contender.

Kousuke stopped for a second to catch his breath. He still hadn't recovered from all the damage he received earlier and the stress of using Crimson Red Vermillion. He prepared to continue, but when he looked for the priest, he was directly in front of him.

Kirei had discarded Black Keys, and his strategy was simple. If he couldn't catch the enemy, he just wouldn't give him any chance to move. Kousuke could stand his ground thanks to his eyes, but the speed at which the priest moved was insane. He managed to find a space between his attacks and decided to thrust his katana in order to stop the priest's movements.

This was all a diversion. The moment Kousuke put his sword out, Kirei stopped it with his bare hands a few inches before it pierced his chest. Kousuke was surprised, and before he could react, he felt a foot over his chin, and the kick sent him flying as he let go of his sword.

"Goshujin-sama!" Caster yelled in concern.

Before she could go to his aid, a black blade came straight at her neck. She knew very well that even a graze from such a sword could kill her. She stopped it once again with her mirror and stared the black Saber in the eye.

"And I thought that useless Saber was annoying!" she said, trying to push her away, but it was futile. Saber of Zero was stronger and her magic resistance didn't help matters either. "I don't have time to waste with you!"

A whirlwind appeared around Caster, knocking Saber back. As soon as she landed she was ready to go once again, but hesitated upon seeing the great amount of prana coming from her opponent. She was now surrounded by a purple light with her nine tails behind her, her mirror continuing to levitate.

Both Caster of Blue and Ginevra, who were exterminating the horrors, had to stop after feeling such magical power, which they recognized as the power of a goddess. No, that would be a mistake, it was very close: the closest a Servant could be to a god.

Caster knew it very well, the ancient goddess of the sun that ruled over Japan during the Age of the Gods. She couldn't believe it.

"Amaterasu…"

Kirei was sent flying by the whirlwind created by Caster's power. The priest took a hard fall, and then he saw the Servant at her Master's side handing him his sword. That power was something Kirei hadn't seen before. It was Tamamo-no-Mae's Noble Phantasm, Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu: Yata no Kagami. It increased her magical power alone beyond the usual limits, passing Rank Ex by far. Now Saber's magical resistance had been rendered useless, and the two could know fight on level ground. Still, such power only lasted ten minutes, and then she wouldn't be able to use it for another three days.

"Now, ready for round two, Saber?" she said with a smile.

* * *

Kage's Assassin stopped shooting at Assassin of Zero for a while after feeling such power as he landed on a nearby building.

"Damn, it's as if that man can't miss no matter what," one of the many Assassins said while standing there.

Assassin smiled, his real identity being Balthasar Gerard, the assassin who killed William the Silent following the orders of King Philip II. His ability with the musket was such that in a range of twenty-five meters, he would always hit the target.

The Assassins began to surround him, ready to use their numbers to bring him down. Balthasar has only managed to kill two of them and he had run of ammo. He had cuts on his arms and face as a result of their daggers. It was a good thing he was the kind of man who always had a plan.

"King Killer: Death of the Future Monarch," he said as a fountain of shadows appeared around him and turned into spiked blades, attacking his enemies.

This was his true Noble Phantasm, the manifestation of all his planning and skill as an assassin, all the preparations he made in order to kill his target.

* * *

Back with the knights, even working together they couldn't reach the monster. No matter what, more and more of its demons kept standing in the way. The situation only got worse from there. Immediately after the gathering of the knights, the monster began its rampage.

"At this rate, it will destroy the entire city before we can take care of it," Gawain said as he slew another demon.

As those words left his mouth, a silver comet and many projectiles appeared and assailed the monster. Arturia and Shirou recognized them and couldn't help but smile at the backup.

And they weren't alone either. Two chariots rose into the sky, one ridden by a pharaoh, the other by Waver and his Rider, standing against a monster beyond the circles of the world.

"Knights of the Round Table…! We'll buy you time, so use it to finish this!" Iskandar thundered from his bull-drawn chariot.

"King of Conquerors…" Arturia said as she and the other three knights continued their fight to reach the True Demon.

Ginevra saw all this from the sky, and she knew that those holy swords were the only ones capable of destroying such a demon. But she was no fool, she knew all the knights besides Lancelot were exhausted, and at this rate they would use all their reserves before reaching the target.

"It seems we are the only ones free, Supervisor."

She heard a familiar voice and turned to look at its source.

Breno was standing on air, having created barriers under his feet and releasing his flames to suspend himself in the sky.

She sighed as she wondered what the others could be doing. Medea flew to join her, having realized the danger of the situation.

"Judging from all this, it looks like that thing will kill the knights and everything will be lost, wouldn't you agree?" Medea asked Ginevra.

"That is the most likely outcome," she concurred with her mother's counterpart. "Assistance in controlling the lightning storm would be most appreciated."

"Using an area-of-effect spell over which you don't have complete control…?" Medea said with amusement. "A tad reckless, I would say."

"Technically this spell was originally designed as static defense for the Etemenanki," Ginevra replied defensively. "I can hardly be blamed if an untested battlefield modification is a bit… unreliable."

Medea laughed. "The Etemenanki…? How ambitious… I approve. Your mother should be proud."

Ginevra smiled.

"You have no idea," she said softly as she raised her staff and lightning flickered across the clouds above.

Medea also raised her staff, and energy cascades erupted across the sky.

"When Souichirou-sama and I have children of our own," she returned," I shall speak of you to them."

Breno didn't fully understand their plan, but dove regardless and unleashed his flames against the horrors that opposed the gathered knights.

The four knights were completely surprised by the sudden help, but before any of them could say anything, the two magicians of the Age of the Gods unleashed their power. Heaven and Earth were made one as blinding bolts of lightning fell like rain across the city, annihilating demons by the hundreds and leaving the ground and the surrounding ruins smoking and black.

In the next moment, explosions went off in front of them, a product of the cannons of a female pirate and the fists of a Chinese man.

"I came to pick you up and I found you almost killed us all," Rider of White said with a frown.

Assassin laughed humorlessly. "Can't be helped, it's just my luck."

Slowly but surely a path began to open. The rest of the Servants of the Blue Faction began to arrive.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Leo Wells and Odysseus could only describe their situation as a bad joke.

"I really need to change my Servant," Leo said, annoyed.

"Hey, it's not my fault! I never expected him to be here."

They landed on the street after dodging another attack from the man who had intercepted them after they stopped their fight with Bazett and Lancer when that monster appeared.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend Odysseus. I haven't seen you since the Trojan War."

"Achilles," Odysseus said with a grin as he looked at the green-haired Servant. "I would really love to speak about old times, but I have a very important date."

Achilles just grinned back at him.

"Come on, we haven't met in a long time and since this war began I haven't fought a decent opponent since that crimson Saber and her Master."

"I will kill that Hellhound when I see him later," Leo said with a sigh, realizing who the person he fought before was. "It seems we can't avoid this, Archer."

Achilles looked at the pair. They seemed a little worn out; Leo had lost his jacket and had blood dripping from his mouth and forehead.

In the next moment, Leo dashed at him and threw a punch, which Achilles blocked with his spear.

"I must admit, this fight will be fun. But I expected your Servant and not you, boy."

Odysseus jumped and shot two axes at him. The enemy Servant smiled at this and leapt back to block the projectiles.

"Well, my aim is second to none, and my Master is a very selfish person, so there's no way to stop him."

Leo then grabbed the two axes which had landed in front of him and launched them at Achilles. The Servant answered by swinging his spear to block the axes, but in doing so left himself with a small opening. A normal human wouldn't notice, but Leo wasn't what one would call normal.

He closed the distance between the two of them and kicked the Servant in the face with such strength that it sent him crashing into the wall of a nearby house.

Achilles was completely surprised. He had really underestimated the blond boy with the scar and never expected him to have so much power. Completely unfazed, he stood and looked at the pair with excitement.

"You're definitely not disappointing me!"

They got ready for him.

* * *

Back in the main battle, Arturia and her fellow knights had managed to reach firing range against the True Demon, even as their cover began to slacken. She couldn't deny that she expected it; so long as the True Demon remained manifest within the world, the flood of its brood was virtually infinite.

"Excalibur…" Gawain yelled as his blade began to glow. "…Galatine!"

"Gawain, stop…!"

He didn't listen to her, and his blade glowed like an orange sun before engulfing the True Demon and creating a gigantic explosion.

When everything died down, they saw that while the True Demon had been seriously injured, it only began to heal with impossible speed.

"What a tough bastard," Mordred said, looking slightly annoyed. "Tell me you have a plan, Arturia."

"Only the four of us combined can take it out. None of us have the strength alone to kill that thing."

The four knights raised their blades together and each began to glow with power: silver for Galatine, crimson for Clarent, gold for Excalibur, and black for Arondight.

At that very moment, the monster noticed their presence and the danger it presented and moved to attack, only for the lightning storm to rake its body with elemental fury.

"Hurry it up!" both sorceresses shouted.

At their words, one of the monster's tentacles lashed out at them, shattering their shields and sending the two flying. Kuzuki managed to catch Caster while Breno caught Ginevra.

The tentacle reared up along with several others and loomed over the knights.

"Rho Aias!" they heard a pair of voices shout, Shirou and Archer projecting their shield in order to protect the knights.

"How much longer…?" Archer yelled.

"Fifteen seconds!" Arturia called back.

Archer kind of expected such an answer, but they needed to hold it back no matter what, as their normal attacks would be utterly meaningless against such a monster. Their shield wouldn't last for long, but before the last petal of the shield broke, a gigantic black spear hurled the monster back.

"Kazikli Bey..." Lancer of Black said in a whisper while watching the ordeal from a nearby building. His attack gave the knights enough time to finish charging their weapons.

The four stood as one.

"Ex…"

"Clarent…"

"Excalibur…"

"Aron…"

Shirou and Archer moved out of the way and all present could not deny the power and grandeur of the four holy swords united behind one purpose.

"…Calibur!"

"…Blood Arthur!"

"…Galatine!"

"…dight!"

The four swords unleashed beams of energy of their corresponding colors that converged upon the being that used to be Gilles de Rais, banishing the True Demon back into the void.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Atosaki and Caules had managed to protect the people and eliminate the golems of the area.

The three Servants were tired, each having destroyed at least fifty golems each.

Caules walked up to Berserker and patted her on the head.

"Good job, Berserker," he said with a smile.

Berserker couldn't say it, but she really loved her Master's smile, just as much as she hated his sister. In her eyes, she was nothing but a source of suffering. She had suffered rejection during her life, but her Master didn't seem to mind at all. But that girl had decided to reject him, not even worrying about his feelings.

In the small time they had spent together, she came to know her Master as a kind and simple boy. He didn't seem to care much about her legend, he never treated her like a monster, so in her eyes he didn't deserve to suffer, and she wouldn't forgive anyone who dared to hurt him. It was a shame she couldn't express this to him.

Atosaki stood with Lance, a little worried because he seemed exhausted and had wounds all over his body from protecting her and others.

"Please be careful. You don't need to push yourself so hard," she said, looking at him fretfully.

His response was something she didn't expect. He hugged her in a way that reassured her he was alright. She really wanted to enjoy this moment, but it was cut short by a cough coming from Rider of Black, making her realize they weren't alone.

The two separated and while Lance didn't seem to understand, Atosaki was blushing from embarrassment. The paladin just laughed and walked up to her.

"It was a pleasure to fight alongside such a fine lady," he said with a small bow. "As we said before, we won't attack you, Mademoiselle Atosaki."

The paladin's smile made Atosaki blush even more. She could hardly believe he was actually male, but Caules told her he was. On the other hand, the paladin's words made Lance feel uneasy and slightly agitated.

Atosaki was about to reply when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Caules and Berserker turned to bid farewell to Atosaki, but Caules' eyes widened in horror the moment he saw what had happened.

"Rider! What are you doing?!"

In that moment, the paladin realized it. He raised his head and saw blood coming from his blade, having just stabbed into Atosaki.

* * *

Next Chapter is the final chapter of this first part as i need time to continue my other stories. Thanks for the support and wait for the next season


	19. Chapter 18 Separation

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 18

The last thing he remembered was being devoured by his own monsters. After that, everything went black. He remained there, lying in the darkness, not knowing if he was dead or alive. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't feel; he just drifted. The man known as Gilles de Rais could be considered a man with a very sad fate.

His madness was a product of pain, of betrayal. He believed God had forsaken him. After all, he saw the god he had served and believed in abandon the girl he appointed to fight in his name. He really loved Jeanne, but it wasn't an average love. He saw in her everything he wasn't. She had led him and many others in battle and, though many were lost, they managed to achieve victory. He saw how she had sacrificed her youth and body for France.

It wouldn't be wrong to say he considered her more of a savior than any god. But that was the very reason he couldn't help but hate God. If a girl who had sacrificed so much could burn to ashes while being considered a witch, what about him?

This realization grew, and with it grew his hate. He couldn't understand the justice, or lack thereof, and God's will behind her death. If there was someone in his eyes who deserved heaven and respect more than any other, it was her.

As he continued to wallow in the darkness, a light illuminated everything. Such a bright light, he couldn't see anything, but he didn't care if he was in light or darkness. Either way he was on his own. He closed his eyes, ready to simply be there.

"I'm sorry, Gilles."

A voice he recognized very well spoke.

In that moment, he began to slowly open his eyes. He saw the blue sky, but there were no clouds. Apparently he was still alive, but he couldn't feel his arms or legs. He would normally wonder about it, but he was too tired, and he began to believe her voice had been just an illusion. After all, she was the only person who didn't need to ask for forgiveness.

As he was about to close his eyes once again, he felt something wet fall on his face. He was barely able to move his head, but it was enough to tilt it a few inches to the left to see the face, full of tears, of the young woman he had once followed.

After the destruction of the demon by the hands of the Knights of the Round Table, Ruler, who stayed hidden in order to keep her existence a secret, not only for the other contestants but for the Counter Guardians, decided to appear.

It was the least she could do. She hadn't been there when he lost himself, she couldn't help that he turned into that thing; she wasn't even there to prevent him from causing all that destruction.

So at least she could be there in order to fulfill the last wish of a man she considered almost a brother, to at least be there to say goodbye. After the battle ended and the Masters began to leave the area, she moved at great speed, avoiding everyone's eyes. This was only possible because the Servants were too exhausted to even consider being alert in a moment like this.

It took her a couple of minutes, but she finally found what remained of the body of Gilles. She knew about the acts he had committed after her death, all the killing and the sins, but she also knew how desperate he was, how he tried to save her when everybody else gave up. She grabbed his body and took him to the roof of a building a small distance away.

She put his head in her lap and called his name. The man didn't open his eyes. She continued to call him.

"What's wrong, Gilles? You usually woke up right away when I called you," she said with a sad smile.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel sadness. After all, her death had driven him to madness, and even when he was responsible for his own actions, she started to think it was also her fault.

"I'm sorry… Gilles."

She couldn't stop her tears anymore.

"Why … are you… apologizing?"

A voice stopped her sobs.

She looked down and found he had opened his eyes. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she just couldn't.

"You… saved me… Jeanne," he said while looking at the sky.

"I didn't!" she yelled back. "I couldn't protect any of you. I disappeared and left you all alone!"

"Still…those times… were the happiest… in my life," he said as a smile formed on his lips. "So… don't cry."

Gilles' words were true. At her side he managed to find peace, a feeling that had eluded him since birth, and for that he was thankful.

His vision became blurry, and he knew he was going to disappear. But he'd seen her once again, once more, so in his mind it wasn't so bad. Still there were so many things he wanted to tell her, but it wasn't possible. As he felt himself vanish he closed his eyes and for the first time since her death he prayed.

He prayed that this time, that girl could be happy, that the tears she cried for him would be the last ones she needed to shed for anyone, and that someday in the distant future he'd meet her again.

Jeanne saw him begin to disappear.

"Wait! Please, I need to talk to you!"

He didn't answer and just closed his eyes.

"Gilles!"

At her scream he murmured a few words that made her cry like never before.

"Thank you… Jeanne."

Finally he disappeared, and maybe he could become free, but that didn't stop her tears. She cried so hard that her screams could be heard all around.

Ginevra watched this for afar. Normally she would be angry that Jeanne disobeyed her orders, but she also understood she couldn't deny this opportunity to either of them. The world had already refused to give those two a real goodbye, and to do the same would mean becoming like that and this was something she wouldn't do no matter what.

She turned and saw Rider landing on the roof next to her, alongside Breno. To her surprise, Breno looked at Ruler and seemed annoyed.

Ramses felt curious about it and decided to ask as he made his chariot disappear.

"You seem angry, peon," he stated.

"You care?" Breno answered back.

"Watch your tongue, peon. I was just curious."

Breno remained silent for a few seconds while he continued looking at the woman crying on her knees.

"It's just… no woman should cry like that," he said as he turned his back to her and began to walk away.

Ramses was surprised by his answer.

"I agree with you, peon." The pharaoh started to follow his Master but then stopped. "You coming, Supervisor?"

Ginevra didn't answer and turned to follow the pair. After all, everyone had the right to grieve on their own.

* * *

Arturia and her knights looked at the space where the demon used to stand and saw that nothing remained.

None of the four spoke. Truth be told, none of them could remain standing for long. But their pride didn't let them fall.

Arturia turned to where Lancelot was standing, with his helmet still on.

"Lancelot…" She walked a few steps and tried to reach him.

She was a few inches away when the mist that had dissipated came back and wrapped itself around the lonely knight. He turned to face her for a second before disappearing.

"Lancelot!" she yelled.

"Let him be, Arturia," Gawain said while thrusting his sword into the ground to keep upright. "It's too late for that man to be saved."

"How can you say that!" she yelled, ignoring all the wounds she had.

"Shut up, will ya." Mordred decided to speak. "You really believed that after working together, we would forget everything else?"

Arturia wanted to reply, but she couldn't find the words.

"We can't go back to those days, 'Father,'" Mordred said as she turned to leave. "We are no longer knights united under your ideal. We are Heroic Spirits that seek to realize our own dreams. So be sure that the next time we meet, you know I won't let anything get in my way, and I will destroy you."

Mordred took a few steps before being hit by the exhaustion of using Clarent three times on the same day. She wouldn't let her father or Gawain see her falter, so she continued on and watched the other Servants and Masters leave the area. She walked to an alley and leaned against one of the walls. She was about to pass out when she felt something supporting her.

"You really are stubborn," Kairi said. "You could just turn into spirit form."

She looked to her right and found her Master. He seemed a little beat up but fine overall.

"Shut up," she said, tired.

"Let's go back."

After Mordred left, Gawain allowed himself to fall to his knees. While having the protection of the sun he couldn't get hurt, but the mana he received from Leo wasn't much and using Galatine twice had sucked him dry. Moreover, he didn't mind if the only witness to this was his former king.

"She is right you know." He spoke, making Arturia, who had been staring in the direction Mordred had gone, turn back to him. "A single battle can't mend all the hate we feel for each other."

"I… I know," she said, looking down.

"But I must admit that the four of us fighting again like we used to was nice," he said with a smile.

In that moment, Leo B. Harwey walked up to them. His orange jacket had been turned to shreds. At his side was Julius, as well as Rider and Assassin of White.

"It seems you are fine, Gawain," he said, smiling, as he helped him stand.

"Please… my king. I… can stand on my own."

Leo's smile grew wider.

"You did well Gawain."

"Thank you, my lord." He then turned to Arturia. "We shall meet again."

Saber was about to answer when all present felt an ominous power coming from somewhere nearby, a power both Gawain and Arturia recognized.

"Excalibur?" they said in unison.

* * *

A few minutes ago, steel clashed on steel as Saber of Zero and Tamamo continued their fight. In order to counter Saber's blade, Tamamo summoned an ancient katana with a very dark aura around it.

Saber could feel the great power coming from it, but she was a better swordsman. Tamamo's mirror, which acted as a shield, and her spells had to make up for her lack of skill.

Though they were even at the moment, the situation was still bad for Tamamo. She could only use her Noble Phantasm for two more minutes. She needed to land a hit with the sword. Just a graze was enough. Tamamo saw Saber coming at her and grit her teeth.

"Uzuyami!" she yelled as multiple tornadoes made of darkness appeared, all aiming at the black swordswoman.

Saber made a path for herself by cutting and dodging the tornadoes. She closed the distance between her and Tamamo, her speed something beyond this world. Tamamo originally thought she would be delayed by the tornadoes, but that wasn't the case.

In her eyes, Saber seemed like an unstoppable force, much like the Berserker they had fought back in their world. Saber was already in front of her with her blade, ready to strike.

Neither of the Servants had noticed that while they were fighting, the priest and the samurai continued their duel. Both were now exchanging blows at amazing speed. Kousuke had stopped using his eyes as he was almost running out of power. He had enough strength for one more spell. The Black Keys and the katana clashed with each other once again while their owners were now looking at each other in the eye.

Kirei was surprised. His Black Keys were about to break, but Kousuke's sword seem fine. Eventually it happened, what he predicted. His weapon broke, but instead of backing down, he used the momentum to connect what remained of its blades into Kousuke's abdomen. He didn't expect it to kill him, but it should slow him down and give him an opening. Kousuke coughed blood as he felt the jagged metal pierce his skin.

"You did well, boy," Kirei said with a smile.

To his surprise, Kousuke raised his head and smiled back at him.

"Yes. Yes I did," he said as he placed his left hand on the priest's chest. "Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

Blue lightning came forth and passed through the priest. Kousuke saw how Kirei was sent flying and how the energy that went through him was now aiming at the real target. He smiled before falling to his knees. Tamamo needed to use her sword, but to do so one had to spill the blood of the opponent. That was the only way the sword Muramasa could be activated.

To do that to such a Servant wasn't easy, and Tamamo needed a chance, so he gave it to her.

Saber saw the bolt coming at her. She knew it wouldn't hurt her, and that thinking went right along with Kousuke's plan. The lightning struck her, but she didn't feel any pain and got ready to cut down the Servant in front of her. But she felt somewhat slower, and in that moment she realized the lighting wasn't meant to hurt her using the electricity, but to paralyze her because of the static.

For someone like her that state would only last a second, but that was enough. Tamamo mentally thanked her master and swung Muramasa, cutting Saber in the stomach. She wanted to inflict more damage, but her armor was strong.

After receiving that damage and recovering from the paralysis, Saber raised her blade, but Tamamo's mirror stood in the way.

Tamamo pushed her back. Saber got ready to counterattack, but she never expected what was coming next. The sword Tamamo wielded was leaking purplish-red and black prana, pure power condensing around the goddess.

Saber's own blade began to glow in order to finish the fight.

"Ex…" she said, surprising Tamamo.

"So it was really you. I can't believe you became this," she said as she saw the dark light engulf Saber, unable to help but wonder what had happened to that holy sword. Then she swung the demonic weapon. "Get ready, Saber!"

"…calibur!" Saber answered back.

Two beams of light came from the swords. In a matter of seconds, the entire roof was consumed by darkness.

Neither of the two Servants backed down. Both put their very heart and souls into the attack. The power was such that both Kage and Kiritsugu stopped their fight. Kiritsugu had some cuts on his face, neck and arms, but nothing serious.

Kage on the other hand had a bullet in his left shoulder and was breathing heavily. He was looking at the man in front of him and couldn't believe he had managed to do this.

It was quite simple. The two were completely even, save for one thing: Kiritsugu had Avalon in his body. In other words, his body didn't have a limit. While Kage could barely keep up Double Accel, he could go beyond that. This was how he had managed to hit him.

While glaring, Kage understood one thing. The way he was now, he couldn't win against the Magus Killer.

"Time Alter." Kage heard him say. "Triple Accel."

He knew the opponent was now moving three times faster and that he wouldn't be able to dodge, but that didn't mean he would die. Kiritsugu saw the world around him move in slow motion as he moved behind Kage with his Contender, ready to shoot.

The reason he moved behind him was in order to make the bullet's direction unpredictable. But the moment the bullet left the barrel and time returned to normal, he saw Kage had turned to where he was standing with his left arm raised.

"Impossible." Kiritsugu couldn't say anything else.

He and Kage were alike. Kage knew he couldn't catch him and gambled everything on his next move. He reacted as if he were the person shooting. He moved his arm in order to intercept the bullet, and the moment he saw his knife connect with the projectile, he knew it was worth it.

Still this only allowed him to survive. His knife broke upon impact, but it managed to divert the bullet's path. It pierced his hand and went through left side of his arm. He lost his arm, but he managed to stay alive.

This act give him a chance, too. Completely surprised, Kiritsugu couldn't move, and Kage raised his right arm and threw his knife. The blade cut through Kiritsugu's arm, making him drop the Contender and lose his momentum. Both had lost an arm but Kiritsugu would eventually heal. Now he saw Kage take a small gun from his coat and aim at his head.

But before he could pull the trigger, a large-scale explosion erupted as Tamamo's slash overcame Excalibur. The only reason she managed to win was because of the cut she had landed earlier on Saber, and even so it was by a narrow margin, and she knew this wouldn't be enough to kill her.

The smoke of the explosion threw off Kage's aim and the moment it dissipated the two Masters from the Faction of Zero had disappeared.

Kage fell to his knees as a pool of blood began to form around him. He was about to pass out when Assassin appeared and supported him.

At the same time Tamamo, who had gone back to her normal form, ran to her master.

"Goshujin-sama!" she yelled, voice full of concern.

"Those two were insanely strong," Kousuke said, completely exhausted.

* * *

On Leo and Odysseus' end, things weren't going so well. No matter what they did, Achilles didn't seem to receive any wounds. This was the protection given by his mother, Thetis: Andres Amarantos. They had been hitting him with everything they had, but he just kept standing as if it was nothing.

"Stop underestimating us," Odysseus said with a tired grin.

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked.

"Leo, he is a Rider right?"

In that moment Leo understood and glared back at the Greek hero.

"He isn't even using his mount."

Achilles just laughed it off.

"Tell you what, if you manage to hurt me, I will use it," he said, grinning.

"Oh, I will do more than that. You just wait!" Leo said with a grin as well and ran at him.

Archer knew what to do. He took the pouch from his belt and opened it in order to unleash a great tornado over his old friend.

Achilles, focused on Leo coming at him, didn't notice the tornado coming at him. Odysseus knew him very well, how much of a monster he really was, and that even with his Master fighting beside him he didn't stand a chance. But that didn't mean he would give up. After all, he was a schemer.

The tornado engulfed Achilles and suspended him in the sky while the strength of the wind tried to rip him apart.

"That isn't it!" Odysseus yelled as he shot all fifteen of his arrows into the tornado. The axes, propelled by the air current, began to cut him.

The tornado began to taint itself in red but then suddenly, from inside, something destroyed it. Odysseus' eyes widened in horror as he saw Achilles floating in the sky like normal after receiving such an attack. The only wounds he had were shallow cuts that didn't seem to affect him too much.

"All you got, old friend?" he asked with a smirk.

"Will you shut up?

Achilles turned and saw Leo coming at him with his fist raised. He raised an eyebrow, not really understanding the reason behind the boy's actions, and that was a mistake. He lowered his guard just like at the beginning, assuming the blow wouldn't hurt him. In the next moment, Leo's fist began to glow, surrounded by pure energy.

The blond young man had used the current of the destroyed tornado to reach Achilles and before the latter could even react, he landed his fist on Achilles' face.

At first he didn't feel any pain, but suddenly he felt the space around Leo's fist distort and even when it should have been impossible to hurt him without any divinity, he had managed to do it.

"Sevdim Punch!" Leo yelled.

Achilles was sent flying and went through many buildings before crashing into the floor.

"Well, it seems I managed to hurt you," Leo said smugly.

The next moment, Odysseus grabbed him and began to run away.

"What are you doing, we…"

He didn't finish. He felt the murderous intent coming from where Achilles had landed. The worst part, it felt stronger than before.

"That guy..." Leo couldn't believe it.

"Let's leave, Leo. We are both tired after the fight against the woman and her Servant. The way we are now, we don't stand a chance."

Leo was about to retort, but he noticed Odysseus was clenching his fist in anger.

"I know how you feel, but he can't die just like that." He turned back to Leo. "Trust me. I have my own reasons to defeat him."

Near where the monsters had disappeared, Kariya lay in one of the alleys while enduring the pain of making Lancelot use his holy sword. He knew it would hurt, but it went beyond what he ever imagined.

As he remained there, a petite girl with white hair and a woman wearing a green dress found him.

"It seems we came across something very interesting. Don't you agree, Jack?" the woman asked.

The girl just nodded. Kariya didn't know what to expect. But being helped to his feet by the woman wasn't one of them.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you," she said.

Kariya remained silent as the three of them began to walk away.

* * *

Kirsche saw, very amused, how the fight between the Emperor and the Gladiator continued while also observing the power of that world. It was as if those flames were alive. They attacked the gladiator without Edward doing anything and formed shields around him and Saber in order to block the gladiator's attacks.

"You are quite the showman, Hellhound."

Another interesting thing was that Saber became stronger, as her attacks were now able to actually hurt the gladiator. They were turning the tide of the battle, but despite this the gladiator didn't seem to falter.

On the other hand Spartacus, though devoid of all reason, felt something wasn't right. He was fighting the oppressor but he wasn't able to win. He couldn't understand why he wasn't able to destroy her.

Their blades clashed, Nero's being filled by rage. She hated the gladiator in front of her, not because he was an enemy of Rome or that he had called her an oppressor—that was part of his twisted logic. But she hated him because he dared to lay his hands on her praetor more than once and forced him to summon this world.

She knew her master was almost at his limit, so she needed to finish this quickly. She dashed toward Spartacus and thrust her blade at his heart, but once it came a few inches away he grabbed the blade and using all his strength managed to stop it. Crimson and black flames rose behind him, burning his back, but the gladiator acted as if it was nothing.

Nero could not get her sword back and as she struggled, she saw his other fist coming at her, but a spectral hand stopped it. Seeing this she turned back.

"Praetor! It's enough, I can manage!" she said as she turned, and then saw him on his knees coughing blood.

Edward couldn't maintain the world for much longer, he could feel how everything was about to begin disappearing, but he couldn't just let her fight on her own. He prepared to put everything he had in the next attack. Flames began to surround him as he stood.

The spectral arm managed to push Spartacus away, and the next second the arm disappeared and was now over Edward holding a gigantic sword wrapped in in the tricolor flames with the crest of a hound on the blade.

The moment he lowered the blade, Spartacus' left arm was turned into ashes and left many marks on the Servant's left side. It seemed as if the very hound on Edward's shoulder had taken a bite.

"Crimson fang." he managed to say as his arm turned back to normal and the world began to crumble.

The sudden attack made Spartacus lose the grip he had over Nero's sword.

"Finish him Saber!"

"Fax Caelis!" she yelled as her blade wrapped itself in flames and thrust into Spartacus' heart.

The next moment Spartacus was engulfed by fire. For the first time they heard the giant yell in pain. Saber tried to pass through him, but she couldn't. That was Spartacus' Noble Phantasm, Crying Warmonger. With each strike, each time he felt pain, he became stronger. So at a moment like this, when he was about to die, he became even stronger than before.

"You damn beast!" Nero cried. "Just a little more!"

She put in more power, but the very muscles near his heart stopped her from inflicting a fatal wound. Suddenly, what little remained of that world came at her aid, and the flames stood as a support, pushing her forward.

"Disappear, Spartacus!" Nero yelled as she pierced his heart. At the very same time the fabricated world disappeared.

Nero's armor was replaced by her crimson dress. She turned and saw the gladiator on his knees, burnt to a crisp.

"Why?" the gladiator asked, now free from the madness. "I tried to eliminate an evil being who oppressed the weak and made people unhappy. Why was I defeated?"

Nero looked at him for a few seconds.

"I won't deny I was an emperor who inflicted pain upon many people and suffered an ugly end because of that," she said, walking past him, "but he is willing to accept me, to take my sins as his own, and more than anything he would be sad if I disappeared. Even if I must make the rest of the world suffer, that is something won't allow. He has suffered enough."

Spartacus began to fade as he looked her in the eye.

"You are quite the tyrant, Emperor," he said as he faded into nothingness.

Saber saw him disappear before turning and running to her master.

"Praetor!" she yelled as she supported him before he passed out. "You really pushed yourself too hard."

Kirsche teleported in front of them.

"I must admit, you really don't disappoint, Hellhound," she said with a smile. "Let's go back."

* * *

Atosaki couldn't understand why Rider of Black had stabbed her, and judging by the expression on his face, neither did he.

He removed the blade from her abdomen as she fell to her knees. It was a good thing she could heal herself, but she still lost a lot of blood. After seeing this, Lance rushed at the paladin with Gáe Bolg, defensive and full of rage, but an arrow blocked his path.

"It seems she isn't dead yet."

Caules heard a familiar voice. Both he and Berserker turned around.

"Celenike and… Fiore?" He couldn't understand. "What's happening?"

Fiore didn't say anything as Celenike kept pushing her wheelchair.

"Maybe you aren't as useless as we thought," said Celenike. "You managed to ambush an enemy Master."

"That's not it. We called a truce because the golems were going crazy!"

"Whatever the case, I've come to help you and make sure you deal with her."

"You forced Rider to stab her, didn't you?" he said while glaring back.

"So? What if I did?" She looked at him, amused by his anger. "Are you going to betray us and join that girl?"

"Ca...ules-san?"

He turned and saw a saddened Atosaki lying on the ground while Lance and Rider kept fighting.

"...Berserker! Go!" he yelled.

The bride rushed at the spearman and took him by surprise, hitting him with her mace so that he crashed into one of the nearby buildings. The next moment, she pounded it into the ground and lightning flew everywhere, knocking the building down on top of the Lancer.

Rider walked to the collapsed building and passed by Berserker, who murmured something only the paladin heard. He approached the rubble and thrust his sword into the spearman's back before returning to his master, all his cheerfulness gone.

"Don't you dare order me to do something like this ever again," he said, with such anger that Celenike just nodded.

"Lance!" Atosaki cried, uselessly trying to get up. Tears began to form in her eyes when she realized what had happened to him. It was all her fault, too.

"Stop it, Atosaki," Caules said without a hint of emotion.

"How... how could you! I trusted you!"

Now she was beginning to regret it. Trust was a foolish notion during times of war, but Atosaki wanted to believe there were still good people out there who deserved it. Despite the risks, she hoped she could give them a fair chance. The apocalypse from back home taught her to value life like that. This time, however, she went in too deep, dropped her guard too low, and the price to pay was heavy. Even though she'd gladly suffer the consequences herself, she never wanted for Lance to get hurt, or worse, killed. Her heart ached from guilt and her own stupidity.

Before Atosaki could say anything else, Caules hit her on the back on the neck and she lost consciousness. He stood and looked at the two from his clan.

"What are you waiting for, boy? Finish her," Celenike said.

"The Servant is gone. You saw Rider pierce his heart."

"I'm not sure. Show me proof."

Caules just sighed as he knelt in front of Atosaki and lifted her left hand. The Command Seals were gone.

"Happy now?"

Celenike walked up to them and realized the girl was still alive. Being stabbed in such a way should have killed her. She shifted her a little and saw the wound on her stomach was gone.

"Change of plans, we are taking her with us."

Chiron went and lifted the girl over his shoulder, and they began to leave. Rider passed by while glaring at him.

"You disappoint me, Chiron," he said as he turned back to spirit form. The Archer didn't answer.

"Caules…" Fiore moved her wheelchair to where her brother was standing.

"Don't say anything, Lady Fiore," he said while looking straight at her.

Fiore froze when she saw his eyes. They were dead, and she wasn't the only one who noticed. Berserker was also scared and worried about her master. Caules didn't say any more and began to walk away.

"Let's go back, Berserker."

Berserker of Black looked at his back as he continued to walk. She knew he wasn't alright. Being with those people was slowly breaking him, and she couldn't do anything. A single tear fell down her cheek before she followed him.

Fiore also watched him, guilt eating her heart, but it was too late to fix anything. Once again she had betrayed him. She couldn't help but laugh upon realizing that Berserker, a being he had just met a couple of days ago, seemed to understand him better than her.

"I'm sorry Caules."

* * *

Back at the mansion of the sixth faction, everyone had managed to return and were being given first aid by the maids—almost everyone. They kept waiting for Atosaki. A few hours passed and Leo, Kousuke and Edward couldn't shake the bad feeling they had.

The six Masters along with Ginevra were in the living when all of them felt something. During the three days of rest, Atosaki had given the others stones engraved with the tracking rune. They took out the rune stones and were surprised when each one of them cracked.

"This isn't good," Ginevra commented.

In that very moment, Lance burst through the door. He was battered and bloody and it seemed he could barely remain standing. The present Masters saw this, shocked, and they understood what had happened.

"Atosaki-san," Edward said in a whisper.

* * *

Servants Remaining : 38

Masters Remaning: 37

Counter Guardians Remaining : 5 (counting Ruler)

* * *

Editor: Just wanted to applaud spiderrock for a job well done. Honestly, whenever I see a new chapter it makes my day. Thanks to the readers as well for joining in on the adventure. ^^

Alright! This is the end of the First Season! Im not sure yet when i will continue the next one but i will. Still Atosaki is in the hands of the black faction and Kariya manage to met a Assasin of please review and any idea you have for the next season is welcome. I thank all the authors of the OC that help me with this so please Review!


	20. Chapter 19 Invasion

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Season 2 Into the Darkness.

Chapter 19 Invasion

Inside a dungeon where light had no place, a girl was lying on the ground, chains wrapped around her slender arms and legs. She wasn't sure how long she had been there, as it was hard to tell. She barely ate or drank a thing because she couldn't trust anyone who stopped by. After all, it was because she trusted them that she ended up in this situation.

She was scared, but she didn't make a sound. She had no idea what they would do with her, but she assumed it had something to do with her power. Every day the woman who decided to bring her into this place came and took samples of blood and hair at least at the beginning, and then she began to inflict small cuts over her body in order to test her healing's capacity.

"Are you alright?" She heard someone familiar speaking.

It was a voice she recognized. However, she decided to remain silent.

"Please tell me you are still alive, Mademoiselle Atosaki."

"Rider," she whispered as the paladin appeared in front of her.

Atosaki couldn't quite tell where the paladin was standing, but from the sound of his voice she figured they were face-to-face.

"What do you want?" she asked slowly, trying to suppress her hurt and anger.

She wasn't the kind of person who ever hated others, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive him either. No matter how nice a guy he was when she met him or how he didn't truly mean to betray her, he had killed Lance, and that was something she couldn't forget. It hurt so much. It hurt just knowing.

"I came to bring you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

Rider knelt in front of her.

"I'm sorry…" he said, his words full of regret. "I'm sorry about what I did, and that I can't do more for you."

Atosaki could feel the sincerity in his words.

"…How long have I been here?"

"Four days."

She blinked a few times out of surprise. No wonder she felt so tired.

The paladin looked at her and held a piece of bread in front her face. Atosaki really wondered if he could see her in that darkness or if it was just a coincidence, but still she grabbed the food.

She heard Rider stand and walk away. His steps were beginning to fade.

"Please try to endure it. I'm sure they will come for you." Those were his last words before his presence disappeared from the dungeon.

She knew who he was talking about: the other members of her faction, the people she met when she had been transported to this world. Even if she wasn't sure they thought the same, she considered them her friends.

"They may come…" But he didn't want them to get hurt. "…and that's what scares me the most."

Atosaki continued to stare at the darkness of her prison, alone with fear and sadness and an aching heart.

* * *

Leo B. Harwey found himself in Dan's room and saw that, even when his injuries hadn't healed completely, its occupant allowed himself to move a little. He wore a very serious expression.

"Are you sure Sir Blackmore?"

Dan looked back at him.

"I'm afraid so. I had Archer scout the church, but it's destroyed and there is no sign of Shirou Kotomine or the other members of the Red Faction."

"Just what could have happened?" Leo wondered.

"Hard to tell. It seems the faction disappeared after the battle with that monster four days ago."

"So much for our truce then," Leo said with a sigh.

"Don't misunderstand Leo, they may not be there but I doubt they were defeated."

"I know, but the fact that they didn't try to communicate means they are hiding something from us. So we need to be careful. They might not care at all about our so-called alliance."

Dan just nodded.

On his end, Archer of White continued to move at great speed around the area while trying to figure something out. He landed in the middle of the ruins that used to be a church and began to examine the destruction. He was never a believer of that stuff. After all, in truth, during his life he was nothing but a backstabbing murderer with no faith.

Since the battle with the demon, the city was undergoing reconstruction and the battles at night had decreased in number.

It wasn't such a surprise. The Masters understood they needed information and tactics in order to win this war. Attacking at random would only make things worse. That was why a Servant like him who specialized in hiding his presence in the shadows was perfect for a time like this.

He began to look around and saw the marks created by the clash of blades. Normally no one would be able to see anything besides rubble, but he learned to read deep into any minuscule details around him in order to survive the attacks of the assassins that kept coming at him.

Archer had developed his senses to the utmost degree. Just by observing the marks left by the blades on the ground and the rubble he could almost see how the battle progressed. He didn't know who the Servants were, but he was able to deduce their weapons. One was a swordsman, probably a Saber, as he saw small slashes everywhere. He wasn't sure of the other. There were big slashes, so the longitude of the other's blade was longer than a regular sword. His guess was between a Lancer and a Berserker, considering all the facts.

"They had been exchanging blows," he said talking to himself. "They were pretty even."

He walked a little deeper into the remains of the church and he felt a great amount of power remaining.

"This is….!" he said, completely shocked. "A holy sword!"

That was where Siegfried's Noble Phantasm had impacted Karna's armor, and even when time had passed the power of the sword was such that it still remained on the battlefield.

But Archer couldn't believe it. Gawain recently confirmed that all the users of the holy blades had reunited in one place. He continued exploring and as he advanced he saw a couple of burned rocks.

"Just what happened here?"

* * *

Kousuke was sitting on his bed while Tamamo began to take off the bandages covering his torso. He kind of expected something like this from that priest. In his world he was already strong, so it was obvious he would make a deadly enemy when faced at his peak. Moreover, Kousuke fought with him when he wasn't fully healed.

"Well Goshujin-sama, it seems your wounds finally closed," said Tamamo with a smile.

He just nodded and began to look at the ceiling. Tamamo pouted and in the next moment she jumped over him.

"Tamamo what the…?" He shut up when he saw the serious expression she had on her face.

"You are worried about that girl, aren't you," she said while looking at him.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he returned with a chuckle.

"We have been together a long time, my dear master."

He just wrapped his arms around her.

"Jealous?"

"Not at all. I know my dear master only has eyes for me," she said happily.

He laughed at her statement.

"It's not only that… Since she disappeared and Lance turned up almost dead, the atmosphere in the mansion changed."

He wasn't lying. In the last few days none of the other members had spoken with each other and even if they didn't say anything, Kousuke knew they all had different opinions about what to do concerning Atosaki.

And, with each day that passed, one of the stones she had given to each member of the faction shattered as if it were a chronometer.

"Master." Tamamo spoke, taking of him from his thoughts. "No matter what I will always support you."

* * *

Ginevra was in her room reading a book when she heard a knock on the door. She already knew who was outside, as well as the reason he had come to her.

"Come in."

Edward entered the room followed by Nero. Ginevra couldn't help but notice she never saw them apart.

"You two are always together, aren't you?"

"Really? I didn't notice," Edward answered after thinking for a while. "But leaving that aside, I need your help, Sakura."

"You want me to locate Atosaki, don't you?"

"Yep, pretty much."

"Truth be told, I expected you to come the very day she disappeared."

"Ginevra, don't underestimate my Praetor. He is no fool," Nero commented, slightly annoyed.

"I know this will sound out of place, but does your Servant have something against me, Hellhound?"

"Not against you personally. She and the Sakura of my world had some issues, that's all."

"I see. Back to your request, even though I am capable of finding her, I don't intend to."

She expected him to yell back at her, but he didn't.

"Why not?" he asked, completely calm.

"I won't help you in a suicide mission. Your wounds may have healed and you may now be able to use your full power, but if she is still alive there will most likely be a trap."

"Yeah, I won't deny that's very possible."

"How come all the sons of Kiritsugu are idiots…" she said with a sigh.

"Hey, that's mean. If I were an idiot I wouldn't have even waited for my wounds to heal."

"I guess you aren't a complete idiot then."

"Stop insulting my Praetor, Ginevra!" Saber shouted at her.

"Please Hellhound, calm your girlfriend."

"Why you?!"

"Saber, calm down," he said and put his hand on her head, making the emperor stop. "But really, can you help me out, Sakura?"

She didn't answer and he decided it was better to just leave, but when he was about to exit the room she started to speak.

"Wait a moment Hellhound."

He stopped and turned back to face her.

"Tell me, why do you want to save her so badly?"

"She is a friend. I don't really need another reason," he said with a smile. "I'm a Hellhound after all."

Ginevra looked at him with eyes wide open. At the beginning she didn't understand his words, but then she did and had a laugh about it.

"You really are an interesting man, she said while looking at him and returning the smile.

Edward kept smiling at her before leaving.

She tried to go back to her book when Ruler decided to appear at her side.

"I don't understand why you laughed at his words," she said.

"You didn't get it?" Ginevra asked, very amused.

The Servant began to think carefully about what he said but still couldn't understand. Ginevra noticed this and decided to give her the answer.

"A Hellhound is not a mere beast. True, he is a monster that even Hades could not control, but he is more than that. A Hellhound is a guardian, a being who protects."

Ruler was completely surprised by her words.

"According to Zelretch, my counterpart in his world fell for him, and I'm beginning to understand the reason. I'm sure he and that other Master will give the greatest spectacle to date," she said with a grin.

* * *

Caules was seated in one of the corners of his room. Berserker was with him but she didn't dare approach him. She didn't know what to do, she never learned how to console someone, and she didn't know anything apart from destroying.

"Hey Berserker…" said Caules, and she looked at him. "I don't think I can remain here any longer."

The guilt was eating away at him. He had betrayed a girl who put her trust in him, the first person besides his sister who didn't reject him. He let Celenike take her to the dungeons and from what he learned from Rider, the only reason she remained alive was because she had some kind of healing power.

"I guess I don't have anything left."

The next moment Berserker embraced him. She couldn't do more, but her Master was suffering just like her. He had been betrayed by the person he trusted most. She hated Fiore because she reminded her of her father. People like them only thought about themselves and rejected others without caring about their feelings.

"Master… is not… alone," she said as she hugged him. "Master… has… me."

Caules' eyes widen with shock. He felt tears falling down his cheeks and hugged her back. Even for a person he wasn't replaceable. There was someone who would remain at his side.

"Thank you Berserker," he just said while sobbing.

"Edel…" Berserker answered in a whisper. "My … name … Edel."

Caules just smiled as he hugged her tighter.

"Thank you Edel," he said as he placed a hand on the back of her head. "I will leave this place. But before doing that I need to make it up to that girl."

* * *

The day ended and night fell over the city. Near the entrance of the mansion of the sixth faction, a blue spearman who could barely stand advanced towards the door.

A voice stopped the Servant.

"If you move another step, you will disappear, Lance."

He turned and saw Kousuke leaning against the wall, changed into his black kimono. Lance didn't answer. He needed to bring her back. His mission was to protect her, because he loved her.

"The way you are now, you won't accomplish anything, except making Atosaki cry."

Then Edward entered the living room. This time he was wearing his usual red jacket but the left sleeve was missing. The spearman looked at them, expecting them to stop him, but the first contact never came. Instead, the Masters just walked up to him.

But as they were about to reach the spearman, they felt other people entering the room.

"Really man, I kind of expected this, but I never thought you'd be so foolish," Leo Wells said, coming in along with Breno.

"Really, what's with everyone calling me a fool today?"

"You come to stop us, Leo?" Kousuke asked.

"Not really. If you guys want to die that's your deal."

"Thanks for being such a good friend," Edward added sarcastically.

"I never said I was your friend. We're working together for this, but we aren't friends."

"Really? Because I consider you one. But putting that aside, why do you assume we're going to die?"

"You two want to search for a girl who we don't even know is alive and could be anywhere."

Edward and Kousuke looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

"Atosaki is still alive. You should know better, Leo," Kousuke said, taking the runestone from his pocket as Edward did the same. "I can feel it, she's still alive. That's why our last few stones aren't in pieces yet."

Leo watched them for a moment before taking out his own stone.

"That doesn't change the fact we don't know where she is, and the fact that they may be waiting for us," Breno interjected.

"She is in a castle on the outskirts of this so-called city," Ginevra said from the veranda of the second floor. "It belongs to the Black Faction, the Yggdmillennia family."

The four Masters turned and saw her standing in front of them with a smile on her face.

"Yggdmillennia? The ancient family whose history goes back even thousands of years ago?" Breno asked, slightly surprised.

"The same. That silver-armored swordsman you and Leo fought, the one that almost killed you, is one of their Servants," Ginevra continued.

"How reassuring," Leo said with a sigh. "So if we go there we'll most likely end up dead."

"Hey Sakura…" Edward decide to speak. "You mean that black castle surrounded by a forest right?"

Ginevra just smiled at him.

"I guess I will leave this matter to you, Hellhound. Do what you please with this information," she said as she began to walk away.

"Thanks Sakura!" he yelled.

"All that is good, man, but it doesn't change anything," Leo said, taking a seat on the living room couch.

"I know. We're still charging blindly into a place full of strong people, right?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, if we assume all their Servants are as strong as their Saber then I don't think we can do much about it. The risk is too high."

"Then listen to what I have to say Leo, Breno."

* * *

Archer of White had finished exploring the area a while ago, but he couldn't return to his base no matter how much he wanted to.

"Really, how unlucky I can be," he said with a dry laugh while hiding inside an empty building. "I would be able to escape almost any Servant, and I found a sniper."

He kind of felt bad about it. Many people had died during the attack of the golems and monsters. Even if those supposed Guardians evacuated the city, that didn't change the fact they still perished. Now numerous buildings were left empty, but it was necessary for people to die at war. That was something that couldn't be denied.

"Then I guess I can't complain. I was prepared to poison people in their sleep."

The next moment he moved from his current spot and jumped through a window to avoid the explosive arrow coming at him. It barely missed him, but he was thrown by the explosion. With his sharp sight he saw a crimson silhouette standing atop a building three hundred meters to his left. This game of cat-and-mouse really couldn't be helped, just like now getting information was the priority. Avoiding the enemy to do so was often necessary.

He ran while dodging a barrage of Broken Phantasms until he managed to find refuge in the shadows of the nearby buildings.

"He is better than me in fire power, but he really lacks skill as a bowman." He laughed.

Archer Emiya had found the green archer by mere chance, but in reality that didn't matter. The fight was inevitable.

The next moment an arrow flew at him and cut his cheek before he could even react. The arrow became stuck in the roof where he was standing and by pure reflex Emiya turned and saw there was a piece of paper tied to the arrow.

He grabbed it and read the message.

"You're on" was all it said, and Emiya couldn't help but smirk.

It wasn't his style, but he had entered into a fight of bowmen: strength against speed. The Archer with the greatest skill would win and survive.

* * *

Vlad entered Darnic's study and found him drinking tea as if he were waiting for something.

"So you feel it too, Darnic?"

"They are coming, Lancer."

"It's understandable. That girl is a very valuable asset. The power to greatly heal others is something everyone would want."

"That's not the reason they are coming," Rider of Black said, entering the room.

"I expect you have a good reason to enter without announcing yourself, Rider."

"They aren't coming because she is so special. Call it a hunch, but I think that if she were any regular magus they would still come."

"Why do you think that?"

"I would do the same for a friend like her," the paladin answered with a smile.

"Such nonsense," Darnic said while sipping his tea. "It doesn't matter why they are coming, we are ready."

"Is that so? Darnic, don't underestimate the power of bonds," the paladin said while leaving the room.

The paladin's words left Vlad thinking for a second before agreeing with Darnic. They were ready for them.

* * *

Ginevra was walking through the hallways of the mansion back to her room but stopped when Kirsche appeared in her way.

"I thought you wouldn't help him," said Kirsche.

"What can I say; I want to see what he can accomplish."

"I don't see why, though."

"He is a very big source of amusement. I wonder what kind of twisted destiny he had to suffer to become like that," she said, passing by Kirsche. "You should tag along. If he really manages to convince those two, I think this time he will need your help."

And so Ginevra left Kirsche in the hallway.

"I don't understand how you can find this amusing. He is nothing but a fool, a fool unable to forget and leave his past behind. But I guess that's why he got that power."

Kirsche walked to the living room expecting a heating discussion between the two sides, with Edward and Kousuke unable to convince the other two.

But when she arrived the room was silent and the only person present was Lance sitting dejectedly at the bottom of the wall near the entrance.

"If you are wondering about them, they left a couple of minutes ago," Kage said, coming out from the shadows.

"How…?" She couldn't understand how he had managed to convince them.

"I don't know," Kage limited himself to saying as he began to walk down the stairs towards the door.

"You are going too?" she asked him.

"I don't plan to help. We're just going to the same place, that's all."

Ginevra had managed to patch up Kage's arm. It was a good thing the bullet only got him there, so the damage wasn't so severe that she couldn't do something about it.

Kirsche sighed.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," she said, massaging the temples of her head.

She didn't even notice Kage had left the house already.

"Yggdmillennia was it? I guess it could help me kill some time."

But in truth she was a little curious about how he had managed to convince the other two, and to a degree, it seemed he even managed to convince Kage.

* * *

While the groups began to move through the city, none of them noticed the giant floating fortress on the sky.

On the top of the fortress was a flat surface where one could see the entire city. Here Shirou Kotomine found himself observing how the battle for the Grail continued. He really needed to recognize Assassin's Noble Phantasm, "Hanging Gardens of Babylon." Such a base gave him a greater tactical advantage than the church, which had been destroyed either way, so they couldn't remain there any longer. He just ignored the question of how she was able to create such a thing, as he knew it wasn't really connected to her legend.

"Greetings, Priest." Shirou heard a voice and turned ready with his Black Keys on hand.

He saw a decrepit old man with a morbid smile on his face.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Zouken—"

The old man wasn't able to finish as three blades cut the left side of his face.

"On the other hand, I realized I don't care."

"If that is how you want it…"

Shirou didn't notice the man with a black cloak and a skull mask appear behind him with multiple black daggers at the ready.

The daggers flew at the priest at such speed that by the time he noticed the attack, the blades were already upon him, but still it wasn't enough to reach him.

Shirou's own Assassin appeared and grabbed the daggers with her bare hands. Normally she shouldn't be able to achieve something like this, but it was a part of the abilities she obtained from being in this fortress.

"Really, it's as if I can't leave you alone, Master."

"Come on Assassin, I knew you had my back, that's why I let myself relax a little."

She just sighed as she turned to look at the black Assassin.

"So tell me nameless Assassin, can you withstand the power of Semiramis, Wise Queen of Assyria?"

* * *

The four Masters had arrived at the entrance of the forest that surrounded the castle of the Black Faction.

"You guys ready?" Kousuke asked.

"I swear to God that if this plan fails I will kill you, Hellhound," Leo complained.

"Well we just need to wait for them to show up so it doesn't come to that."

After Edward answered him, a black hole appeared on the ground and Kage emerged from it. At the same moment Kirsche came out of a portal.

"Told ya it would work," Edward said to Leo with a smirk.

"Lucky bastard," Breno said, surprising those present.

"So Hellhound, I assume you have a plan, or I will make you pay for taking up my time."

He told them the idea he had developed along with Kousuke. The other four couldn't deny it might actually work. If everything went well they could not only get Atosaki back but also destroy the Black Faction in the process.

"So let's go," Edward said as his eyes turned crimson and his arm turned into a claw.

* * *

Celenike entered the dungeon and left the door open, so for the first time since Atosaki was sent there some light entered and stayed.

"My, my, look at the state you're in," Celenike said mockingly.

Atosaki didn't answer back.

"You know, Lord Darnic believes they will come tonight. Your teammates, that is."

In the next moment, thunder was heard.

"A frontal assault, how foolish can they be?"

In the moment one of the homunculi appeared at the door.

"Lady Celenike, we are under attack!"

"How many intruders?"

"It's only one girl."

Both Celenike and Atosaki were left speechless.

* * *

At the front of the castle, Thor swung his hammer without mercy, smashing through homunculi and the remaining golems as if they were nothing. Kirsche looked on, anything but happy.

"To make me act as the distraction… That man doesn't know his place," she said to herself. She then turned to the crimson sphere floating next to her. "I will be sure to demand something expensive for this favor, Hellhound."

"Alright Kirsche, we will talk about it after the fight." Edward voice's came from the sphere.

Darnic and Vlad watched how Kirsche began to break through their defenses.

"All servants prepare to subdue the mad warrior!" Vlad yelled before another two explosions occurred simultaneously on the left and right sides of the building.

"A triple attack front?!" Vlad yelled, realizing they had fallen into a trap.

On the left side the homunculi saw a Hellhound and a samurai come from the destroyed wall and on the right side entered a blond young man with a scar and another with black hair wearing a blue full bodysuit.

In his room, Roche smiled. He had been waiting for the chance to use the last present his master had left for him.

"Wake up, Adam," he said, and so the battle between the sixth and Black factions had begun.

* * *

Hi Im not sure wheether to put this on onother story or to continue it in here. Well the next battles begin and I really like the Caules and Edel pair Well give your opinions and please review!


	21. Chapter 20 Sixth vs Black

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 20 Six vs Black

She saw blood, not hers of course; she saw herself killing others without mercy, consuming them without caring if they were old or young, women, men or children.

It was a dream—there was no other explanation. She knew she was able to do something like this in the nightmare. But that was what made it even scarier, because no matter how hard she tried to feel repulsion at the scene before her, the only thing in her heart was happiness.

For the first time in a long while she felt free. It was rather sad that she could only achieve freedom in such a horrible and dark situation. There was no one to order her around or make decisions for her, and that freedom gave her happiness.

This wasn't her first nightmare, but she usually woke up by now, so she never expected what happened next.

"Sakura!"

A voice she recognized very well spoke from behind her and she turned.

A young girl with brown hair tied in ponytails wearing a red turtleneck and a black skirt was looking at her with an expression full of both shock and horror.

"Ah, Sister, it's a pleasure to see you," Sakura said with a smile

But it was weird, normally she would feel shame and fear at being discovered in such a place, but in this moment she didn't feel anything.

"What…What did you do?!" Rin yelled in a futile attempt to persuade herself that what she was seeing was nothing but an illusion.

"I think that you can answer your question yourself if you look around, my dear sister."

"Sa…Sakura…"

She heard Rin's voice crack in disbelief and instead of feeling sadness, Sakura just laughed.

"So you chose to become a monster, Sakura," Rin said as her expression turned dead serious.

At her words, Sakura stop laughing and looked at Rin with eyes full of anger. Even after all this time she didn't understand.

"I didn't choose anything! I was forced into this!"

"No, you could have chosen to keep being yourself, but you didn't."

"Shut up!"

At the next moment, a black tentacle went after Rin at great speed and the jewel magus was too slow to react in time. Not that anyone could blame her, the being she was fighting was no longer human.

Bur before that tentacle could end her life, crimson flames stood in between the two sisters and even if Rin didn't know it, this was her only chance of survival. After all, a monster best matched another one.

Before her a young man with crimson hair and eyes with a red hound on his left shoulder with a weird arm resembling a claw appeared in front of her.

Sakura didn't know him, yet she could feel something similar coming from him.

"So you came, Hellhound."

She didn't say that, she'd never seen him before, so why did she call him that? Why couldn't she control her own actions inside her dream, it didn't make any sense.

But it got worse. The eyes of the young man didn't show hate or fear like her sister. He seemed hurt, he seemed sad, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a reason for that.

While Sakura continued to think about it, the young man came at her, his weird arm wrapped in crimson flames ready to strike.

Strangely enough, his eyes held no hostility, confusing her. But still her body reacted and retaliated with that darkness she was surrounded by.

Fire and darkness clashed in front of her, but she still managed to hear his voice.

"I'm sorry… Sakura."

In the next moment, the flames passed through the darkness and she felt pain.

Sakura of the Blue Faction woke up screaming, dark power dancing around her, but the dream had been too shocking for her to notice. They disappeared as easily as they appeared by the time Rider arrived inside the room.

"Sakura!" she said with worry.

This hadn't been the first weird dream she'd had in the last few days, but it was the first time she awoke screaming like that.

Once she saw her Servant, Sakura ran at her and hugged her and began to cry. She was scared, scared of becoming a monster, a monster that would attack the person she loved and needed to be destroyed. She was scared of those feelings of happiness and the freedom she felt, but most of all she was afraid of that Hellhound.

Rider hugged her back and tried to calm her down.

"What happened, Sakura? What did you see?"

"I… I killed many people… I wanted to kill Nee-san… I… I…" she couldn't continue as she continued to cry.

Rider caressed the back of her head, trying to soothe her fears. Truth to be told, she was also worried. She and Archer had met two other versions of her before, neither of them having endured that hell she had been part of, but the price was to become someone else entirely. The innocence of the girl Rider served was no longer in either of them.

And the Servant wasn't sure if it was really worth it, to change so much to the point of becoming someone completely different in order to avoid that pain. But in the end she had decided to protect that girl. It didn't matter if there were others, but she wouldn't let Sakura know. It would only increase her pain if she did.

"Sakura?"

A third voice broke the moment and the two saw Shirou standing at the door with an expression of worry in his face.

Rider let go of Sakura and walked to the door. She liked Sakura and she knew about the feelings she had for the Master of Saber. Even if Sakura trusted her with her life, Rider knew she needed him more than her at present.

"Keep her company for a while," the Servant said while turning on the lights of the room and leaving the two alone.

* * *

Back in the castle of the Black Faction, the Hellhound and the Samurai continued to advance through the hallways. Edward stopped as he felt a strange pain coming from his arm. He dropped to his knees, making Kousuke and Tamamo stop.

"You alright, Edward-kun?"

Tamamo didn't say anything. The expression of shock Nero had on her face was enough to tell her they were hiding something.

The pain stopped and Edward stood up.

"I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"I don't have the slightest idea. It was as if my arm resonated with something," Edward said, looking at it.

The last time he felt something like that was when he met her back then and he didn't want to think about fighting her again, for two reasons. She was one of the few people who could actually kill him and make sure he remained dead, and there was also the fact that he didn't want to hurt her again.

"Hey, Master of Saber, you're hiding something, aren't you?" Tamamo said while looking at him, suspicious.

"You are accusing my praetor of something, fox?" Nero said back.

The two Masters saw how their Servants exchanged glares and sighed, realizing it was futile to try to stop them.

The next moment footsteps were heard. The four turned and saw the silver-armored swordsman they had met before walking alongside a knight with a girlish face and pink hair.

Siegfried drew his sword and pointed it at them. His eyes didn't seem to show any expression.

"Intruders."

On the other side, Rider recognized them as Atosaki's partners. After all, no other faction would try such a reckless attack. Personally he would let them pass and even help them save Atosaki, but he was a Paladin and he had sworn to follow Celenike's commands as her Servant, so he couldn't do something like that. Either way, if they couldn't beat him in order to save her, they wouldn't stand a chance in this war.

Siegfried was about to run at them when he felt something was wrong with his master. He turned to leave the fight, but the moment he did, Nero moved toward him at great speed and swung her blade. The bad part about him not being able to be injured was that when he was focused on something else, as he was used to not dodging, he didn't react as fast as he could. And, even if he couldn't be hurt, he still suffered the repercussions of the blow. In other words, he could still be sent flying.

And so while being distracted, he was hit by Nero's sword and the blow was enough to destroy the left wall of the hallway.

"Saber!" Rider yelled before dodging the samurai sword coming at him.

He jumped back and saw Kousuke and Tamamo ready to face him.

"Not bad, boy, you almost got me."

Kousuke saw Edward and Nero entering the room next to the broken wall and facing the swordsman.

"All according to plan," were his only words before he activated his eyes.

* * *

The moment the explosions occurred, Gordes ordered his Servant to deal with the intruders as he believed he would be alright on his own with the homunculi of the family protecting him, and if there was an emergency he could use a Command Seal to call him.

But that was a mistake from his part. He never expected an Assassin to come at him. He found himself lying on the floor with Kage on his back and a cloth binding his mouth so others wouldn't hear him scream.

"Now, I have just broken four of your fingers. Would you like to tell me what I need to know?" he asked with a cold voice.

Kage saw the man under him cry, unable to bear the pain. In truth he hadn't planned to attack him at the beginning, but he made a deal. Edward used his ghost fire in the castle and he had more or less an idea of how it was built.

It was part of the plan, to have Kage sneak in and learn where Atosaki was held while the others called attention to themselves. In exchange Edward gave Kage a ghost fire to be his guide and tell him where the leader of the faction could be located: the most important target.

He decided to play this game. Even when the girl didn't really matter much to him it was a good strategy. As he waited a few seconds for Gordes' answer, he looked around and saw the bodies of the homunculi that had been guarding him.

Kage couldn't believe Gordes was so foolish to actually believe those homunculi would stand a chance against a Servant, even if it was an Assassin.

He took the cloth from his mouth and expected to finally get an answer so he could continue with his business.

"I… I don't know anything!" Gordes yelled. "Please stop it!"

Kage didn't say anything and continued to look at him with cold eyes, but he mentally sighed. At the beginning he was saying that he wouldn't sell out a man called Darnic no matter the torture, but he had just given up after four fingers.

Even worse, it was the first time he decided to torture someone. He usually killed his targets fast and efficiently, but he had a deal to uphold.

Kage took a gun from his pocket and forced the cloth back over his mouth before he shot him in the leg. He stood up as he watched the man roll in pain, trying in a very pitiful way to take the pain.

"Tell me where the girl is or the next one will go through your skull."

He saw Gordes shiver in fear before he took the cloth from his mouth.

"The dungeon!" he yelled almost instantly. "Celenike took her to the dungeon in the lowest level of the castle. So please… don't kill me!"

Kage looked at him for a few moments as if he were actually considering it, just before he pulled the trigger and shot him pointblank in the face. He turned to the crimson sphere flying around him.

"She is in the lowest level of the castle, Edward."

"Thanks..." Edward's voice sounded as if he was fighting, but Kage didn't seem to care.

"Our deal is over. I will do whatever I want now."

"Try not to get killed."

Kage didn't answer and began to walk out of the room, leaving the corpse of one of the Masters of the Black Faction behind.

"One down, six to go," Kage said while walking down the hallway followed by Assassin.

* * *

Shirou helped Sakura sit back on her bed but noticed she was still shaking. He couldn't help but wonder how many times this had happened. From Rider's face he knew this wasn't the first time, so how come he hadn't notice before?

"It's a mistake if you forget the people close to you to help them!"

Those words resounded in his mind as he tried to deny them, but it was pretty obvious the young man who called him brother days ago was right.

"No matter the reason, to lose someone important to you is never worth it."

"Senpai?" Sakura's voice brought him back to reality.

"What is it, Sakura? You alright?" He tried to fake a smile.

"Senpai… If I ever turn into a monster … please…."

She didn't know what she was saying. It was all because of her dream, because no matter how much she tried to deny it, she knew deep down that it wasn't really a dream, but a memory. Unbeknownst to her, the fragments of the Grail, parts of the same being, were connected.

Sakura couldn't help but remember the boy in her dream. He seemed really sad, like he didn't want to fight her, but he still attacked her. She wasn't sure what happened before waking up, but she began to think the worst and wonder that, if it came to the same case, would Shirou also fight her?

On his end, Shirou's eyes widened at her sudden question. He couldn't believe the same girl he had known for so many years was asking him something like that. But then he recalled he didn't know she was a magus. There were many things he didn't know about her and as he continued to remain silent, the words of the Hellhound came back to him.

"I… don't know what you're trying to say!" he yelled as he grabbed her hands.

He was different from him, and he wouldn't accept his words either. He wouldn't forget anyone and he would protect those around him without fail. He had decided to live to protect others, even if he knew that Archer and the Hellhound's words were right. He wouldn't give up, because helping others wasn't a mistake.

"You won't become a monster!" He looked Sakura in the eye. "Because no matter what I will protect you Sakura! I will remain at your side!"

That was all he could do. He may not have known everything about her and there were perhaps some lies between the two, but that didn't change the fact she had been part of his family in the past few years. He couldn't remember his past self, so his present family was something irreplaceable to him.

Sakura laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Senpai," she said, relieved.

Shirou didn't know at the moment that he had just made a promise he wouldn't be able to keep.

* * *

Kirsche entered the castle by the front gate along with Berserker, and while she felt disappointed by the lack of resistance from the faction, she couldn't really blame them. There were few people she knew that were able to withstand both her and Thor.

She was about to inspect the mansion so this wouldn't be a waste of time. The Yggdmillennia were known in her world, and even when they lacked any real power in the Association they should have some treasure like any big family.

The next moment she heard one of the doors in the room open and a smiling child came through it.

"Hey there, Nee-san!" he said.

Kirsche raised an eyebrow, a little annoyed with the boy acting so familiar with her and calling her "older sister."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Ah, sorry Nee-san, my name is Roche Frain Yggdmillennia, and you don't know how happy I am to see you."

"Is that so? Let me ask why that is?" Kirsche said, somewhat amused by the words of the kid.

Roche's smile turned grim.

"Because I needed someone to test him."

In the next moment, sensing an enemy, Thor moved towards the boy. Roche just moved to one side and the god of thunder ignored him. He swung his hammer at the being beyond the door.

Kirsche saw a lightning strike and assumed the fight, if it could be called that, was over, regardless of Roche's words.

She was about to leave when she saw her Servant come from the smoke created by the attack. He flew out with such force that he crashed into the wall at the other side of the living room. Still he got up almost instantly.

Roche came out next, completely unscathed, making Kirsche's eyes widen in surprise.

"Wow Nee-san, your Servant is really strong," he said, looking at the destruction created by Thor. "But if you want to defeat Adam, you will need to try harder."

"Adam?"

"Where are my manners? Sorry Nee-san, let me introduce the two of you to each other."

The smoke dissipated and Kirsche saw a golem who resembled a human more than the others she had seen before. Besides that she could feel a great amount of prana coming from him. She just smiled.

"Interesting. Come, little boy, I will show you the difference between us."

At that moment, a shadow came around her and ten homunculi appeared, ready to fight the golem along with Thor.

"I hope your little toy doesn't break so fast."

* * *

In another part of the castle they could hear the sound of arrows meeting each other. Two bowmen looked at one another in a larger hallway of the tower.

"I keep seeing many familiar faces. How have you been, Chiron?" Odysseus said as he watched the green-haired bowman.

"Well. It's good to see you too," Chiron answered with an inclination of the head.

"Hey Odysseus, not that I want to interrupt your reunion—not that I actually care—but can you take him on?" Leo asked.

"It's hard to tell. He is a bowman who reigns in the stars and mentored many heroes."

"I demand a replacement," Leo said with a sigh.

"Hey, that hurts, and I just say I might not be able to beat him fair and square. But when I have I fought fair," he said, looking at him. "On the other hand Leo, shouldn't you worry about yourself?"

"What gives you that idea?" Leo asked as he struggled to stop a metallic spider leg coming at him with both of his arms.

Before him was Fiore in what seemed like an exoskeleton mecha-armor with five gigantic magic-powered spider-like limbs. That was Fiore's Mystic Code, Bronze-Link Manipulators. These limbs allowed her to move and eliminate the disadvantage of her being unable to walk.

Another of the limbs came at him as he pushed the first one back and jumped, barely missing the second one. It was fast and he had been in enough fights to realize that even one graze from that thing would be dangerous. Not only that, in this close space, it gave her the advantage.

But at the same time she was at a disadvantage. Leo noticed a flaw that girl had which wouldn't let her win. In the first two strikes he could tell Fiore never killed anyone before, and that was her weakness.

That Mystic Code was fast. Just from the looks of it he deduced that it wasn't something he could dodge without knowing more about it, but he had managed to survive the first strikes, so she was obviously holding back.

It was different from the priest and the Enforcer who were ready to kill him if necessary. That made the Mystic Code's movements sloppy and gave him a chance.

"This is your first fight, isn't it?" Leo asked Fiore.

The girl seemed taken back a little by his sudden question. Leo sighed. She kind of reminded him of Cassidy, so he would try to go easy on her.

He dashed at her, dodging the stabs of the three mechanical limbs and jumped with his fist raised, ready to strike her. Even if she wasn't used to fighting, her very instincts of survival kicked in and she moved the two remaining limbs in front of his fist.

Leo felt his fist crack a little. Still he didn't back down and kept pushing with more strength, forcing the limbs to slowly retreat. But before his fist could reach her, he turned and used both hands to stop an arrow coming at him. He barely managed to catch it but couldn't stop it, and the arrow struck him in the shoulder. The strength behind the arrow was enough to make him collide with a nearby wall.

He got stuck there because of the arrow and saw a second one coming at him. He couldn't dodge it. But a bolt of energy blocked it as Odysseus appeared at his side.

"This will hurt," he said, yanking out the other arrow from his shoulder.

"Damn!" Leo yelled. Even when he could heal himself, Odysseus had been right.

The two landed on the floor and turned to see the other pair. Fiore was shocked, probably never expected anyone to be able to overcome her Mystic Code.

"Sorry Master, I thought he had missed, and I didn't realize he was aiming at you."

"Really? A mythical bowman who taught many heroes can miss so easily?" Leo complained sarcastically as his wound began to heal.

"Hey, it's not so easy to fight against him."

"I wouldn't mind changing opponents."

"Well, a date with a beautiful girl is always welcome, but I guess I wanted to test my skills," Odysseus answered back with a smirk.

"Leaving that aside, where's that guy Breno when you need him?"

"Who knows, he left with Rider a while ago."

On the other side, Chiron was at Fiore's side.

"Lady Fiore, be more careful, they are strong. If what you told me is true and you want your brother and yourself to survive, then you need to fight your own battles and win. Don't worry, I will help you along the way."

Fiore smiled at him. She had thought it over and decided that if her brother was as important as her legs, she wanted to be at his side. So she would follow Archer's words. She wouldn't choose between the two, she would protect her brother and seek her dream as there was no reason to give up one for the other.

"Thank you Archer. You are right, this is also for him."

* * *

Back in the dungeon Atosaki could sense her teammates all over the castle, little tremors resulting from their fight, but something was wrong. The smile on Celenike's face hadn't faded.

"Hey little girl," Celenike said with a smile. "Do you want to see?"

"What…? What are you talking about?"

Celenike just gave her an evil smile and signaled with her hand for a couple of homunculi to enter through the door, one carrying a mirror and the other a couple of torches to light up the dungeon. It rather hurt Atosaki's eyes.

"We know all that need to know about you and the members of your faction," Celenike said while walking up to her. "While you were fighting like crazy, the past few days we watched and analyzed your abilities."

Atosaki felt fear, but not for herself. She knew that the woman in front of her wasn't lying. She worried about her teammates.

The mirror began to glow and different scenes passed that showed the Masters and Servants fighting with each other. The moment Celenike saw the battle between the Samurai and her Rider she couldn't help but laugh.

"So lucky!" she said, delighted, as she knelt before Atosaki. "Let me ask you, little girl. Between that samurai and the boy with the red jacket, who is stronger?"

Atosaki didn't want to know where she was going with this.

"In my opinion the Samurai would win," Celenike continued. "So what do you say, want to make a bet?"

"They would never fight each other!" Atosaki cried back, angered by her words.

Celenike just laughed.

"Rider, lead the Samurai to the center of the room where the other two are fighting," she said as she wasted her second order on the paladin.

Rider of Black, who had been holding back a little against the Samurai because he didn't want to kill him, and because he was cautious of his Servant's magic, felt a strange force. Before Kousuke could react, the paladin swung his blade with such strength and precision that it sent him flying to the other room where Edward and Nero were fighting with Siegfried.

For the paladin it was possible, as even though he was a Rider, in skill alone he was on par with the Saber class.

"Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo yelled in concern, prepared to fight the Servant, but her reaction was too slow.

The moment he landed in the room, the paladin was already over him and smashed him down into the middle of the room's floor.

A blood-red magic circle appeared and crimson light engulfed Kousuke, pushing Rider away.

Edward stopped his fight as he heard Kousuke's screams of pain. The screams were so bad that even Siegfried couldn't help stopping.

A pillar of light rose from the center of the room as the screams faded. In the middle, Kousuke stood. His hair had turned completely red and he had let go his swords. Tamamo saw this and fell to her knees.

* * *

"No… It's impossible."

On their end, Celenike laughed while Atosaki was left speechless. She hardly understood what just happened, but she had a bad feeling.

"It worked!" The silver-haired woman's face was completely red and she seemed to be in ecstasy. "Now destroy everything!"

Atosaki didn't pay her much attention. She kept watching Kousuke, who was surrounded by a crimson aura. His eyes seemed so dead that it was hard to say they belonged to the same person. The next moment he roared and a great pressure filled the room.

"Kousuke?" Edward spoke, unable to understand.

But the person in front of him was no longer Kousuke—it was the oni blood inside of him that for some reason had taken control over his body. The moment he heard a voice he could only think about destroying it.

He disappeared, just to reappear in front of Edward and punch him in the stomach, sending him flying into a wall.

"Praetor!"

Nero was ready to strike him when Tamamo cried out.

"Don't! Please don't hurt him, Saber!"

In the next moment Kousuke turned to her as if prepared to attack.

"Goshujin-sama, please wake up," she pleaded, not wanting to see him like that.

Kousuke didn't listen and dashed at her, but suddenly crimson chains came from the floor and wrapped around him.

Tamamo and Nero turned to see Edward with a serious expression as he struggled to stop Kousuke with his chains.

"I guess I don't have a choice."

Nero understood his words and she didn't like it.

"Wait! Praetor!"

"Dirge of Cerberus!" he yelled as black and crimson flames surrounded him and the second head of the Hellhound appear.

Edward pulled Kousuke with his chains. By pure instinct Kousuke turned, already with his fist raised, and their punches met with each other.

The clash of power destroyed the roof of the room and let the light of the moon enter the castle.

None of the Servants moved as the Hellhound and the Oni looked at each other.

"Kousuke, I will bring you back to your senses!" Edward yelled as he ran at his friend.

* * *

Alright another chap. Sorry about not putting a scenes of the battles of the last chapter but if not the chapter would be too long. So the fights of the last chap would continue in the next one. Besides one The oni and the Hellhound figt each other!

Also as Count Valerian rewrotte Purple and black we have made some changes on the earlier chapters so it would be okay with the new version. So check the earlier i accept suggestions to change the name of this chapter

please review.


	22. Chapter 21 Defeat

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 21: Defeat

Shirou Kotomine, for the first time in a long time, felt disgusted as he moved his blades under the light of the moon, slashing the hundreds of worms coming at him. The moment he appeared in this world he had discarded almost everything that composed his past self.

That could be considered, depending on the angle, a good and a bad thing, his real name being Shirou Tokisada Amakusa, the person who led the Shimabara Rebellion while just a teenager. He was born in an era where the strong, the people who ruled, stole from others. They took from the villagers everything they had. In such times the poor people who lacked both food and shelter sought any consolation in religion, in Christianity, with the promise that they could have some peace when they died, that they would receive something in exchange for their suffering. Normally that wouldn't be much, but for them it was something that let them endure all that suffering.

But the ones who ruled try to take even that from them, but they didn't think that the people would resist. No, they thought about it but didn't care because even if the people revolted they would be fighting a losing battle because no matter how much struggled they couldn't win. All logic and common sense pointed to that result. In order to win the oppressed people needed a miracle.

Shirou found himself inside that group of people and even though it wasn't his intention, his personality made the others believe in him. They began to follow him and he led them. They fought for their faith and a better future. They didn't show any fear because even if they didn't fight they would die either way in their conditions. Even they became sacrifices for the cause they were sure their deaths wouldn't be in vain. Just as their souls would be reborn after death the world would also be reborn.

Yet that very faith that gave them the strength to fight would be their downfall. Shirou knew they needed a miracle so he begged for one. He believed his faith and the faith of the others would be enough and his faith was rewarded: he managed to achieve the impossible. Obviously it wasn't the power of God but the power of the Counter Force. At the moment he didn't care and that was his mistake.

He won an impossible battle because he had received a miraculous power, yet he failed to see the bigger picture. He had been so focused on winning that he didn't expect what would happen next. People began to see him as some kind of miraculous child who would change the world, and after seeing their faces full of expectation and hope he realized his mistake. The mouse had managed to bite the cat that had him cornered, but the cat was still around and after being hurt he would just strike again.

After all there was a universal law for miracles: a miracle only occurred once. Once it happened it would not repeat because if it became a common occurrence, it stopped being a miracle and turned into a mere act achievable for mankind.

He felt the blood of the countless worms he had sliced gather around his feet. He looked at the decrepit old man in front of him, whom he cut more times than he could even recall. His Black Keys were on the verge of breaking, yet the old man just regenerated himself while keeping that sick smile on his face.

That was what disgusted him. That smile, as if it were saying "Come, keep struggling." That same smile was the one he had seen on the faces of those who oppressed him and his comrades. While alive he understood the darkness inside the world. He couldn't help but compare it to the Ouroboros, a snake devouring its tail like humanity eating itself in order to grow; the lords feeding on the weak so they could live happy. He saw in Zouken the same evil he had seen in life.

After their first exchange, Zouken tried to speak with him one more time.

"Join me, priest. I know we two are the same."

That made him despise the old man even more, since while he was well aware of how twisted he himself was, how he normally wore a stone-hard mask and that he put the end before the means, he wasn't anything like the old man. Because no matter what, even if he ended up committing a thousand sins, it was in order to create a pure world.

Where all could be happy.

Where all could be good.

Where all could be perfect.

A world where someone like him or Zouken would never exist. Yes, in the world he sought to create he knew he wouldn't have a place in it. No matter his intentions he was well aware he was evil, but he no longer cared.

He finally stopped and glared at the old man. Though he wouldn't answer, he decided to ask him a question.

"Tell me old man, why do want the Grail?"

This time Zouken stopped to think for a second; the question had taken him by surprise. He wanted to live forever, that was his wish, because the life he was living in truth was nothing but an illusion. He was nothing but a spirit using his worms to interact with the world. But why was it that he wanted to live forever? What was the reason he decided to cling to life so much?

Shirou Kotomine looked at him being unable to answer and just dashed at him.

In an instant he nailed Zouken's body to the ground, four blades pinning his limbs, another one through his heart and another one pierced his skull.

Still the smile didn't disappear.

"A life without a goal or meaning, you are pathetic, old man."

Zouken didn't say anything, not that he would actually be able to, but just like before he didn't have any reason to worry. No matter how hard he tried to kill his worms he wouldn't die. It was just a matter of time before the priest was defeated and his worms could feast on his flesh.

"You don't get it yet do you old man?"

This time Zouken looked at the priest and he saw him smiling.

"If I can't kill your flesh, I will just destroy that empty void you call a soul."

And for the first time in a long time Zouken felt fear.

* * *

At the same time inside the fortress, Assassin of Red continued her fight. Well, it could hardly be called a fight in the first place. Even when they were Servants, a battle of Assassins wasn't like the battles of other Servants. They didn't fight in the open, but while concealing themselves in the shadows, so for many that wouldn't be considered a fight.

But in this case it was slightly different. Zouken's Assassin had been played, he just didn't know it. He felt for something in the complete nothingness while hiding the in the shadows of the fortress, looking for an opening like he always did if he couldn't sense any presence.

There was no sound. He could no longer hear the sound of his Master fighting up top, even. Complete darkness, at the beginning it didn't seem so weird. All Assassins had the presence concealment skill so it was hard to detect the other. But for just how long had he been standing there, inside that darkness?

He looked at this hand and saw a mysterious purple flower with a nice smell. Then he realized he hadn't moved from his position, which was weird as it was his strategy to keep moving while in a fight to avoid being detected.

"You haven't notice yet? This fight is over, nameless Assassin."

The moment he heard her voice he saw her appear in front of him. He couldn't understand her words, he hadn't lost yet. Sure he had been discovered but he could just disappear once again and get ready for a chance.

He tried to move but his body didn't seem to respond.

"You poor fool. You really haven't realized yet?"

He didn't listen to her. He tried to move his arms but he couldn't. He turned his head and looked at it. Again he saw the flower on his hand.

In that moment he realized an ominous truth. Where did that flower come from?

As he questioned himself, he realize it wasn't just a flower—it was a tangle wrapped around his entire body. He noticed his vision go fuzzy and began to have trouble to breath.

"...Poison?" he said while coughing blood.

"Very perceptive, aren't you?" Semiramis said with a smile.

There was never a chance for Assassin to win, since the moment he entered her fortress their fight was no longer one of individuals, it became a fight between a man and a castle. Inside this place she was unbeatable. If anything she had been playing with Assassin the entire time. To be able to match her one needed the power to destroy a fortress and for an Assassin this was an impossible task.

Assassin felt pain like never before. He felt how his body began to burn from the inside as if there was something tearing his organs apart.

On the bright side the unbearable pain brought back his vision, and although he felt his body die by the second he moved towards the woman clad in black.

Still in that state he didn't realize his second mistake, to think she was the only enemy in the area.

Semiramis saw blood splatter while inside Assassin's mind was only confusion.

His vision turned red because of the poison and suddenly the pain he had been feeling just stopped. That was a funny fact about pain. In some cases when feeling of pain went beyond what anyone could endure, the brain shut down and all the pain just disappeared.

The bad thing was that normally those cases occurred when one neared death.

Assassin noticed he couldn't see anything with his left eye, his legs were failing him and in the next second he fell to his knees. He saw Semiramis smirking.

"Thou art truly sick." A female voice was heard.

Semiramis turned and saw Archer of Red standing behind her, green eyes looking at the nameless Assassin now lying on the floor. It took her two arrows: the first one pierced his left eye and passed through his skull, the second one finished him by hitting his heart.

"You stopped my fun, Archer."

"Ye sadist." The female bowman said.

"How rude, after all is the privilege of the queen to use the peasants for entertainment. Also he attacked me first."

"He attacked Shirou." Archer said while she observed Assassin and how he began to disappear.

"Forsooth, thou art quite protective of him."

"Shut up! He is my vassal so this much is my kindness for his loyalty."

Archer looked at her, not really believing her words.

On Assassin's end, he felt himself disappearing and could no longer feel his connection with Zouken, so the old man was probably dead. In that state he wouldn't last more than a few seconds, but he couldn't accept death like that.

No, if he was about to die he would at least take that witch with him. He still had enough prana for one last attack.

The two women turned back, not worried about the dying Servant. It was understandable, he was about to vanish and unable to put up a fight.

But they were wrong. As the black bandages of his right arm began to fall they revealed what seemed to be end of his arm. It was really just his elbow and his actual arm was folded back and sewn to the elbow. But it only remained like that for a second, as in the next the flesh of the arm ripped itself and flew away like a "One-Winged Spear."

This was his Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya Delusional Heartbeat. The technique he had developed while being alive in order to succeed as the next Hassan-i-Sabah.

It was a very simple yet very effective kind of curse. He created a mirror image of the heart of his target, in this case Semiramis', with an ether clump. As they were basically the same existence, they would resonate with each other so all the damage the mirror image received would be inflicted on the original. So the moment he crushed the fake one, Semiramis would die. Just one more second until it happened.

Still Assassin thought it was a shame. He wanted to see the face of the so-called queen when she realized just a mere assassin had killed her. Still even his last attack was in vain. While he had moved in silence and the two Servants hadn't notice his movements, they weren't the only ones there.

He saw his arm fall in front of him before it could crush the heart and that was all he saw before disappearing.

The two women turned as they felt another presence and found Achilles with his spear nailed where Assassin had been lying.

"Don't lower your guard. I mean, even the rats have their pride."

Semiramis ignored him and began to walk away. She went back to her Master, her relationship with him unusual. If anything, she saw some value in him. While many people spoke only pretty words and weren't able to bear responsibility for their actions, he was different. At least he was ready to go until the end. Yes, that was something worthy of watching.

As she returned, she saw no trace of the old man or the disgusting worms he brought with him. She found her master standing on the center of the ground, his crimson mantle gone, just looking at the sky.

"Really, a very interesting man."

* * *

Back at the castle, the clash between two powers could be heard all around as the Hellhound and the Oni fought. Crimson eyes looked at each other while none of the Servants dared to move.

Scarlet and ebony flames stood in the way of a red aura that sought to destroy anything and everything.

Once again their fists clashed, neither ready to fall back. The Oni looked at the Hellhound with an expression full of hate. A crimson claw came from the left side at great speed, but the Oni reacted and stopped the claw with his left arm.

At this Edward smiled as he grabbed Kousuke's arm and threw him into the sky.

"Caster!" he yelled at the pink-haired Servant. "There is a way to stop him!"

Tamamo snapped out of her daze when she looked at the young man who no longer resembled his past self.

"If you manage to subdue him for a moment," she said, "I could help him by entering his mind."

Edward looked at her.

"That won't work," he said as he waited for his friend to come back down.

"What…?" Tamamo was surprised by his words.

"If this mode of his is any similar to my Dirge of Cerberus, then right now his mind is a mess."

Tamamo clenched her fist knowing he was speaking the truth.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I will hit him till he wakes up. That guy is still there, right?"

Tamamo just nodded.

Edward turned toward Nero who was looking at him disapprovingly and murmured something that she managed to understand.

The next moment a crimson bullet flew from the sky as Edward readied his twin blades. Kousuke came at him and once again they clashed.

"Black Seal 70% Unleashed!" Edward yelled as he fought to stop his friend.

This was a battle that couldn't be stopped, as even when both of the fighters ignored it, this fight had happened once before.

In the Age of the Gods many supernatural beings appeared on the earth. But even then demons, properly called, were strange. The reason for them to enter the realm of men was simple: they needed to escape from hell. But no matter how many tried, all the demons who attempted to leave would be burned down and killed by the invincible gatekeeper, Cerberus.

Yet there existed one demon that had managed to fight with him on equal ground and was able to escape from hell, the Japanese demon that would destroy anything: the Oni. Still, even when he escaped he never managed to beat Cerberus. What really happened, no one knows, but the two monsters hated each other and since that time both waited for a chance when they could end their dispute.

They looked at each other before disappearing and reappearing in the sky. The four Servants looked at the two crimson lights clash, both trying to extinguish the other. In that moment neither could hold back, as to do so only meant death.

Nero lowered her gaze back to the silver knight in front of her.

"Hey Caster. My Praetor said that the girl is in the basement. Could you go after her?"

"What? Our Masters are fighting each other we need to do something!"

"I believe in him!" Nero yelled back.

Tamamo couldn't reply.

"I know he will win, he will help your Master and come back to me. So in the meantime we need to finish what we came here to do."

Tamamo looked at her and while she put up that brave front, Nero could see her hands was shaking. While both of them really didn't get along, at least in this aspect they could understand each other. Both of them wanted to go to their Masters' side and stop them but it was impossible, they would just destroy each other and everything would be lost.

"I will leave these two to you," she said, serious.

Nero didn't answer, but before Tamamo could even move, Astolfo ran at her with his rapier ready to strike her down. Even while he didn't personally approve, the strategy to turn the strength of the enemy against itself was very common.

His rapier was stopped by a crimson blade. The paladin couldn't help but feel surprised by the fast reaction of the swordswoman.

In any other situation he would have praised her skill, but in this case it was impossible since it would be only be perceived as an insult.

Caster opened a hole in the floor and jumped, exiting the battlefield. Seeing this, Siegfried tried to follow her but once again Saber intercepted him after pushing Astolfo back. In his eyes she now seemed stronger. In truth her strength hadn't changed at all, it was just resolution. In order to fulfill her Master's request she would try her best beyond her limit.

"Move, Saber, you can't beat the two of us."

Nero didn't answer back and got ready for the attacks of the two opposing Servants. She was well aware she couldn't win, but at the least she could buy time until Caster returned with the girl. Just as the two Servants of the Black Faction got ready to charge, the wall behind them broke and a Pharaoh riding a chariot emerged from it, the horses of the chariot impacting Siegfried's back.

The chariot stopped and the paladin jumped back to avoid the path of the curved blade coming at him.

Rider looked at Siegfried who was now lying on the floor and seemed in pain.

"Weird, I just hit your back…." At this the Pharaoh smiled. "I think I know who you are, swordsman. Come, Dragon Slayer, become a sacrifice worthy of the great Ramses II."

"Rider, what are you doing here?" Nero asked, not understanding what he meant.

The Pharaoh looked at her, just realizing she was there.

"Don't misunderstand, Saber, I didn't come to help you. I just need to settle a debt with that man."

The chariot disappeared and the two rulers got ready to fight against the two knights as Siegfried stood up and Astolfo got ready.

* * *

Inside the dungeon, Atosaki couldn't believe was she was seeing. Her expression was the completely opposite of Celenike, who was laughing and enjoying the spectacle.

"I must thank you little girl," said the woman with a smile. "If it weren't for you being so naïve none of this would have been possible."

Guilt struck Atosaki's heart as she saw two of her friends fighting each other. She didn't want this. She saw how Edward cut Kousuke and how Kousuke punched Edward and burned him with beams.

She had seen them back in the mansion, when they got along with each other. They had fought together but now none of the remained.

"Stop it! Please stop it!" she yelled.

Celenike looked at her and her depression. Yes, she understood, this girl was the kind of person who could endure pain but didn't like it when others were injured for her sake. That expression of despair was something she loved to see.

"You shouldn't just focus on them. They aren't the only ones in trouble. After all, you have more enemies besides us."

Atosaki turned her eyes towards another part of the mirror and couldn't believe it.

* * *

Breno rolled to one side, barely avoiding the torrent of flames coming at him. This situation was completely ridiculous. He breathed heavily as he saw Tohsaka Tokiomi look down at him.

It was the first time he had met the man, but he knew of the family in general. How could he not, they were the family who had gave their land for the Grail Wars in his world, before the Roux family.

But leaving information aside, he was really confused. The only enemies should have been the Yggdmillennia, but there seemed to be more Masters that didn't belong to the family. The worst was that Rider left him and ran somewhere after sensing a familiar presence.

Right after he left torrents of flames come at him at great speed, just like with Kayneth he use barriers to stop them so he could dodge allowing him to survive.

"Tokiomi Tohsaka."

"It seems my reputation precedes me."

"Why are you here?" Breno asked.

Tokiomi looked at him slightly amused. The boy was brave—he could at least give him that. He knew he had defeated Kayneth, so he would see how powerful he really was.

"I just came to repay a debt that was given to my faction."

Breno didn't understand but that didn't matter. See, the Sixth Faction had made a grave mistake, they lacked information. They never expected to found a man with military knowledge to be one of the Servants. While history had twisted his existence, Vlad Tepes could be considered one of the greatest generals who ever lived. He managed to win battles against greater armies by using the geography of the battlefield and coordinated attacks.

In a battle of strategy, they couldn't win against him.

Breno stood up and got ready. He didn't know much about Tokiomi except that like him he was a flame magus, so in general the fight would be decided by which user had the stronger flames.

He looked at him and shoot a torrent of flames toward Tokiomi.

The magus didn't even move and just smile as a barrier of purple flames rose in front of him and stopped the flames, dispersing them as if they were nothing.

Following the moment the flames died, Breno appeared right in front of Tokiomi, surprising him for an instant with a fist wrapped in flames. Just like before he punched the barrier and the two flames clashed. But there was no difference, just like before he was repelled and pushed back.

Breno was speechless, his attack had been deflected as if it were nothing but before he could try to understand what had happened Tokiomi spoke.

"Intensive Einäscherung."

A ball of fire came at him. His reaction was too slow, even if erecting a barrier he wouldn't be able to dodge so the only option left was to endure it.

He put a barrier around his body but it did little to reduce the damage. Tokiomi's flames broke through it with ease and began to burn his body.

The magus looked at him as the flames covered him and he yelled in pain. The flames died after a few seconds as Breno fell to his knees.

Tokiomi seemed surprised, but just for a second.

"Congratulations, you survived." He began to walk around him. "Your style controls flames using barriers. You put one around your body so it absorbed the impact and part of the heat at the beginning."

His words seemed like praise but Breno knew he was just mocking him.

"I don't know your family, but I guess it is not so bad."

"You bastard!" Breno yelled as he shot a wave of flames at him.

Breno was quite the calm man. There were few things that managed to actually make him angry. His family was one of them, he was proud of his lineage. His hate towards Josephine Roux was stemmed from a fight between the two families. So the moment that man he barely knew insulted the art his family had been perfecting for generations, he just couldn't control himself.

Tokiomi just smiled at his outburst and answered with a fire stream of his own that came from his staff.

In the middle of the room the two torrents clashed. Speaking in terms of pure magical power they were more or less even. The fact that flames answered to the emotions of the user meant Breno's anger should have given him the edge, yet Tokiomi countered this advantage with another one.

The jewel in his staff, it was one in which he had been pouring his magic for many years. In other words he could unleash more power than Breno, so he beat quality with quantity.

Breno's flames began to be repelled.

"Tokiomi!" he yelled as he put more power.

Still it was futile. Tokiomi's flames defeated his and sent him flying towards the wall that collapsed at the moment of impact.

* * *

In the living room, Kirsche saw how another one of her battle homunculi was defeated by the golem that accompanied Roche.

They had been fighting for a while and Thor had yet to land an actual blow on the golem. There were so many secrets about his skills ignoring the type, power, or speed of the attack, all of which seemed to fail to reach him at the last moment.

Also, all of the attacks seemed to fail by a narrow margin, but still the fact that she was having trouble with him was a bit of a wound on her pride.

As Thor's attack failed once again and he was forced back and landed at her right. She just sighed.

"A miniature reality marble that modifies the world around him; that's the ability that doll has doesn't it?"

Roche's eyes widened, she was completely correct.

"Impressive Nee-san, you really are smart I can't believe you figured it out."

"Who do you think I am?" Kirsche said with a small smile.

She had to admit it wasn't easy to discover, at the beginning it seemed like the golem was barely avoiding the attacks, but as the homunculi and her Servant continued the attack she observed how it wasn't just a coincidence. It took her many tries and a whole squad to be sure, but still she needed to give the creator of such a being some respect.

To create a being with such power would be a great asset for anyone. Normally it would be impossible to reach him, but she wasn't a regular magus and inside that mansion she was the only person who was able to beat it. No, she needed to beat it. To let him exist was too dangerous. Still, to fight seriously was something she would have preferred to save for later.

"Well if anything it's another reason for that Hellhound to owe me more." she smirked before turning to the child. "I commend you for your efforts but I shall end this.

She held out a hand, and in the palm light began to shine. Roche's eyes widened as she felt something, something that could not be described, as though the light the Einzbern magus held wasn't something that should exist. "Rejoice and be honored, for you shall witness the power that even the Bathomeloi fear, admire, and worship…"

It was wrong. That light was not meant to be. But it is!

Kirsche smiled, and to Roche's horror the light materialized into a javelin constructed of silvery metal. But the way it formed, it wasn't Gradation Air. It wasn't like a spiritual construct like a Servant or their Noble Phantasms materializing either. It was as if the javelin simply was…

"No…" he whispered in denial and horror, "…it can't be!"

Kirsche smiled before she seized the javelin and expertly took her stance against the golem. "…behold the First Magic: the Power of Creation!"

"Wait… we can talk about this…!"

"Lance of the End…!"

* * *

Edward and Kousuke kept fighting each other with everything they had. They had taken things to the forest outside and after they landed the area turned into hell. There was no strategy, no respect, it was a pure brawl.

They separated after another clash.

"You really are a tough bastard," Edward joked as he breathed heavily.

Kousuke didn't answer. He just glared at him and in the next instant disappeared and reappeared behind him. A scarlet beam sent Edward flying skyward. But as Kousuke prepared to follow, he looked back at him and a crimson and black hound made of flames came at him, but he stopped them with his bare hands.

Yet it was all a distraction. Just as he managed to stop the hound coming at him a spectral hand suddenly smashed him into the ground.

"Kousuke, snap out of it!"

Those words still weren't enough, and the spectral arm soon shattered. Kousuke came at him once again and punched him with such strength that it sent him even deeper into the forest.

He really hated this, he really didn't like to fight someone he got along with, he had so much blood on his hands already and he didn't want Kosuke's. It wasn't Kousuke's fault, though. He knew the guy and was sure that this wasn't what he wanted.

Also he was sure Kousuke was still in there, he had seen him during the fight against Pleiades. If he wanted to kill himm the first surprise attack would have been enough, but no, it had been a weak punch. It was as if he was asking for help.

By the time the trees managed to stop him, Edward saw Kousuke running toward him. He was truly an unstoppable force.

"Really, Saber is definitely going to get mad later."

As Kousuke drew closer he realized he was running over a black area, and his opponent now held a dark blade surrounded by flames of the same color.

"Belphegor!" Edward yelled.

No one saw it, but a black pillar of flames went up at the middle of the forest.

* * *

Atosaki saw how the battle unfolded, her hand clenched into fist and for the first time she really started hating someone. She saw her teammates struggling with their own battles, and no matter how much she wanted to believe, it really seemed hopeless.

On the other hand Celenike was enjoying the show, seeing them fight as if they actually had a chance. Then a small tremor came from one side of the castle, another one from the upper levels.

Celenike felt a little worried about the one in the upper level. After all Darnic's room was there. She searched for the image of that part of the castle in the mirror and smiled after seeing the scene.

She turned towards Atosaki and grabbed her by the hair and forced her to watch.

The scene was something that would make her curse the fact that they have come for her.

Vlad was holding Balthasar by the neck while Kage was lying at the bottom of a wall with his body partly frozen.

"Kage-san!"

"Calm down, that isn't all." Celenike said with a smile.

She made her look at another part of the mirror.

Edward was at the bottom of one of the externals wall of the castle, in front of him a burned path as if a wide slash had destroyed everything. He was seated over a pool of his own blood with a hole in his stomach. She saw his hair begin to turn back to normal and the heads of the hellhound begin to disappear.

The worst wasn't that but the person who had done that, in front of him was Kousuke with cold eyes and his left arm stained with Edward's blood.

"Ed… Edward-san?"

What she didn't know was that the wall against which he was seated was on the side this fight had begun, and that after feeling a tremor Nero moved to see what had happened. The moment she saw her Master there her eyes turned dark and she almost let go of her sword. Her state was such that even Astolfo stopped his attack and looked at what had happened.

She didn't want to believe it.

"Praetor!"

* * *

Servants Remaining : 38

Masters Remaning: 37

* * *

Well another chapter done. I will explain what happened to Kage and the reason for Tokiomi being there in the next chapter. well it took a a while to finish this one.

Please review.


	23. Chapter 22 Counter Attack

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 22: Counter Attack

Kage had been played. While part of him blamed the Hellhound for this situation, he couldn't deny it was also his fault. He couldn't feel the right side of his body; it was frozen, but only to the point of being hard to move. It didn't seem he was in danger of losing any limbs.

He looked at the man in front of him smiling while the white-haired spearman was breaking his Servant's neck. It was something anyone could have predicted. In a fair fight, Balthasar Gerard shouldn't be able to defeat any of the knight classes. But that wasn't the reason they found themselves in this situation, it happened because they never expected that Vlad would have such a terrific ability.

Going back fifteen minute, after dealing with Gordes, Kage had begun to move through the castle without being seen and limiting himself to killing only the necessary amount of homunculi in order to avoid causing an uproar. He followed the ghost fire towards the upper levels of the castle where the man called Darnic could be found.

Kage was no fool; he knew that the weakness in their strategy was the lack of information and that if their leader had a brain, he would be waiting for him. If anything he would be wondering why Kage was taking so long and he was right. Darnic was in a league completely different from his own. It wasn't for nothing that he had managed to survive two hundred years.

And while normally during many of his jobs he had relied in information of his targets to get the job done he had learn to work without it, as many times information couldn't be trusted. In this case, he opted for an option that was neither his favorite nor more trusted, but still effective: just end the enemy before he could even respond.

Darnic stood in the middle of the room, ready for explosion. He knew the only one of the enemy Masters that wasn't fighting was Kage, so he would most likely come for him. Darnic's opinion on the young Master was kind of weird, while he didn't respect his abilities as they relied more on modern weaponry than magic, he didn't look down on him either.

Darnic was a very prideful person, a person who saw others like nothing more that stepping stones, and at the same time he had no mercy for his enemies. Unlike many magi he would see Kage as a being that needed to be destroyed for him to attain his goals, an enemy and nothing more. But as he continued to wait a question popped into his mind.

Where was Caules?

Vlad had been standing behind him and all was going according to plan. The greatest powers in the enemy faction were now fighting each other. The only person on whom he didn't have information was Kirsche, but that was the point of making Adam fight her in the first place. Chiron had recognized Leo's Archer and Darnic was sure he was superior in skill alone, so there shouldn't be troubles. And, while he didn't trust Tokiomi, he was convinced the other flame magus wouldn't stand a chance.

The battle was going their way. Still, he had to commend the other party. Their initial attack had taken him by surprise and if it weren't for all the information he had gathered beforehand and his abilities as a general, they could have won.

But as he remained alert waiting for the enemy attack, he didn't see the gun behind him or the person hiding in the shadows of one room corner.

By the time Vlad heard the sound of the gun being fired it was already too late. The bullet passed through his skull and the spearman fell into the ground as Balthasar revealed himself.

Balthasar's Presence Concealment skill was in Rank B, so he couldn't be detected by any normal means. Along with his sure hit ability, at least the first surprise attack would definitely hit. Ability and precision to end a life in such a way that the great spearman didn't have an opportunity to react, a kill worthy of an Assassin.

"My Lord!" Darnic yelled after he turned and saw his Servant lying on the ground.

The scene was something he never expected, and such shock make him unable to realize a simple fact. If the Servant was near, so was the Master.

An explosion blew down the door and Darnic couldn't believe it, he hadn't heard a sound since the first gun shot, there were homunculi guarding the entrance of his room to alert him of an attacker.

But it had been futile, even when he positioned himself in the middle of the room to avoid being caught in any explosions, the smoke created by the blast still obscured his vision, as well as where Kage was. In the next moment Darnic felt something behind him, then a blow to the back of his head which sent him into the ground. He turned and saw a gun being pointed at him, and in that moment he understood the reason why there hadn't been a sound.

"A Silencer?!"

Just like his Servant, Kage had moved at great speed, taking advantage of Balthasar's surprise attack. Normally in this situation the victory was completely assured for this pair of the Sixth Faction. In the next second Kage would pull the trigger and the battle would be over. But as he was about to do so, Balthasar grabbed him and jumped.

Before Kage could ask his Servant what was happening, he heard Vlad speak.

"Kazikli Bei!" Vlad's voice roared in the room.

Kage saw how black spears came from everywhere on the floor except from Darnic's spot, and how they barely managed to miss their mark.

"King-Killer!" Balthasar declared as shadows shot from around him and broke the spears under them.

The pair landed and, to their horror, they saw the body of Vlad Tepes rise as flesh began to regrow and cover the hole that remained from Balthasar's attack.

The French Assassin recognized him as a vampire, a monster who stood between the living and the dead, something he really despised, but at the same time he knew he was doomed.

"You damn monster!" Balthasar yelled as he pointed another of his muskets at him.

Vlad didn't answer. He just smiled as his golden eyes shone in the night and his Master also rose at his side.

There was no need for words and the being who used to be Vlad Tepes knew it. Legend of Dracula, the moment he unleashed such power all hope for Kage and Balthasar to achieve victory disappeared.

In the next moment Vlad disappeared, being devoured by shadows.

"He's gone?!" Kage growled.

In the next moment he was pushed to one side and he saw how a blade-like shadow ripped apart the arm Balthasar had used to shove him. It had been too fast, he hadn't been able to react in time, and if it weren't for his Servant he would have died.

Blood stained the black carpet in the room as Balthasar used his own shadows to attack the enemy Servant.

A futile gesture. While King-Killer was an ability that would let him match a Servant equally and give him an opportunity to escape, it was completely useless against this enemy. The reason was very simple: one couldn't eradicate darkness with more darkness. If anything it was only made stronger, deeper.

This couldn't be called a fight, as a fight was a duel between two of similar power. Vlad was just playing with him. In this form the nature of the misconstrued legendary monster resurfaced and eclipsed the real him, so all his honor was replaced by a pure need to destroy his enemies.

This made sense. After all, it was his cruelty towards his enemies that caused the legend to twist like that. He didn't dodge as Balthasar's shadows came at him and cut him, just kept slowly advancing toward until he stood in front of the Assassin.

"All you can do?" Vlad asked.

Balthasar jumped back as black spikes erupted from the floor, barely missing any vital spots. He coughed blood as he fell to his knees.

On the other hand, while Kage should have been able to hold his ground against Darnic, who began to shoot ice spikes at him. Just after seeing it once he knew how his magic worked. Cocytus, an ancient ice spell that modified the density and temperature of the water in the air to create ice. This wasn't Darnic's favorite spell—it was just one of the many he had learned during his long life. In other words he was being cautious with Kage and didn't want to show all his power.

Normally there wouldn't be a problem. Not because of Darnic, but Vlad's insane power. He continued to toy with Balthasar by sending shadow-like blades at him. The only reason Darnic hadn't killed Kage yet was that he was more focused on the Servant than the Master, so the attacks were a little slower, giving Kage a chance to dodge with Double Accel.

This was only possible given the experience in assassination that had developed his reflexes, but still it was useless. At the present, even after dodging a barrage of attacks, the ice spikes reached Kage and the ice began to expand across the affected area.

He looked at his attacker and while seeing his face, he couldn't help but wonder why he was doing this.

It was something much unlike him. True he went against the head, but if his objective was to kill the other Masters, wouldn't it have been better to kill them from behind while they were busy with their battles?

What he didn't realize, or what he did realize but decided to ignore, was that he targeted Darnic because if the head was defeated, the others might surrender and they might be able to get the girl back.

Deep inside of him there existed the wish to save that girl, though he didn't know the reason. Maybe it was because of the reason the Hellhound and Kousuke had given to Leo and Breno. He could still barely remember the conversation, as he didn't really care, but one phrase was enough to make catch his attention.

"She is the better of us. All of us have blood on our hands; all of us have already killed. Not necessarily humans, but she hasn't done anything. Don't ask me how I know, but that is the truth. She is naïve and she cared too much about others." Edward smiled while saying that. "You can say what you want, but you all have grown fond of her because of that, right?"

The other two didn't answer, surprising Kage.

"We just don't want to lose anything important ever again," both Edward and Kousuke said with sad smiles.

That phrase made him remember a person he had tried to forget, to no avail. Just as he was a shadow, there was once a light: Hikari, his brother, a person kinder than him. The moment Edward said that phrase, something he had avoided began to appear in his heart. Feelings, the man who had closed his heart and kept it hardened to everything found there was a small crack. Yes, to lose something important, that was a feeling he could understand.

But even so he had failed. He saw the white magus point his staff at him while Vlad was preparing to pierce Balthasar's heart.

Darnic saw Kage close his eyes and got ready to end his life, but at that very moment a punch impacted him in the face, just as bolt of energy turned into an axe and flew towards Vlad, who dodged on pure reflex and missed the heart of the Assassin. In that situation, Balthasar would only last a few more minutes at best.

"Who dares?!" Vlad roared in anger.

Odysseus stood in front of him with a grin.

"Come on, count. That guy is a comrade and I can't just let you kill him."

The punch made Darnic retreat a little and he saw that what had hit him was a very long arm. In the next second it retracted as Leo Wells entered the room. He seemed quite annoyed for some reason. His face had a few cuts just like the rest of his body.

"You?!" Darnic couldn't believe it. "What happened to Fiore?!"

Leo just sighed before ignoring him and turning towards Kage.

"He did quite a number on you."

"Shut… up."

"Alright, I don't kick a man when he's down. Still, I can't believe he was right."

Kage looked at him, not really understanding his words.

Leo turned towards Darnic.

"I don't know any Fiore. But if you're talking about that girl, let's just say she's having some family issues."

Darnic didn't need to think too much to understand those words. He grit his teeth as he cursed the fact that the one boy was part of them.

"Damn you Caules!"

* * *

On his side Caules never expected to find himself in this situation, and he had to admit his sister was something completely beyond his level. He really looked up to his sister. She was a kind person, smart and beautiful. Her only visible defect was her inability to walk, but that wasn't her fault.

He sighed as he looked at the surprised look on his sister's face. Edel was at his side, ready to strike at the sign of any movement from the ancient hero.

"Cau…les…?" Fiore couldn't understand it.

"Hi, sis," he said with a weak smile.

A few moments ago he had interrupted the fight between her and a blond guy he assumed was in the same group as Atosaki. The fight was pretty even, but still he needed to make sure his sister didn't get hurt.

Just like with Lance, Edel moved at lighting speed and attacked Chiron, who never expect an ally to turn on him. Fiore, seeing the betrayal of her brother, was too shocked to even move, and while Leo was ready to take her down, he stopped him.

"Leave her to me. As I think they need your help up there," Caules said

"He is right, Leo. I can feel Assassin's presence fading away," Odysseus said as Edel kept Chiron busy.

Leo didn't want to leave a battle unfinished, moreover because a guy he didn't even know was the one asking him to do so. But losing a team member while trying to rescue another would make everything pointless. Though, the most important fact was that if he left just in such a way, he'd feel as if he had just lost.

He sighed and considered his options for a couple of seconds. Then he turned towards Fiore.

"There are some things I have to take care of. We'll finish this later."

But the girl didn't seem to pay him much attention. Those two wore similar clothes so Leo assumed he had just betrayed his family. He didn't recognize Caules from the first fight, since he barely saw his face in the dark.

He sighed once again.

"Lady, if something like this is enough to leave you speechless, you shouldn't fight in this war. Just give up and stop your suffering."

Then, along with his Servant he began to run towards the upper levels. He moved so fast he didn't hear her reply.

"I… I just can't… there is something I want."

Back to the present, Fiore's mind was a complete mess. She knew her brother was suffering in this place, but she never expected betrayal because even if he was able to betray the family, he would never betray her, that was what she believed. At least up until that moment.

"Why?"

"Sis… I can't keep being so blind. I know magic is a world full of darkness, but this is too much."

"What?" She couldn't understand. No, she didn't want to understand.

Because if she understood, then she knew they wouldn't be able to go back.

"I didn't want to fight in this war. I found the very idea absurd but I didn't have a choice. I don't mind that the others look down on me like they always do. But I can't forgive Darnic for using me as another puppet."

"Is it because of that girl…?"

Caules couldn't see her eyes under her hair.

"Look, I don't mind fighting. But Fiore, she trusted me and I just stabbed her in the back!"

Fiore seem a little taken aback by that.

"And for what?! For a place I know I don't belong," he said, looking down.

"So for that you're going to betray me…"

"No, you got it wrong, sis. I want to leave this place, that's all, I'm not betraying you!"

The Servants clashed for a second time before landing at the sides of their respective Masters.

"No… I won't let you leave, Caules!"

Caules didn't want to fight her, he just wanted to stall for time so the other guy could leave and he might talk with her. He really wished that they could leave together.

"Sis, please! I don't want to fight with you!" he pleaded.

Edel got ready to defend Caules, but at the very same time both of them felt a tremor that rocked the entire castle, and while none of present noticed, Chiron's eyes widened as he felt a very familiar power, a power that shouldn't exist anymore.

"Cerberus?"

* * *

Back on the mansion of the Blue Faction, Sakura had finally fallen asleep and, even when he wanted to go back to sleep, the conversation Shirou had with her was still in his head. He arrived at the living room of the second floor of the house and lay over one of the couches.

But the moment he relaxed, he couldn't help but recall another issue he had discovered during his fight with his so-called brother. The fact that he had forgotten his previous life. In the beginning he hadn't wondered too much about it. He just avoided the subject and continued to believe Kiritsugu was the only father he needed.

He never thought it was weird. He had survived a severely traumatic experience, so it was okay if he forgot, right? But then why was it the other survivors didn't forget?

"Brother, uh?"

"Shirou?"

In that moment he noticed Arturia had just entered the room and was looking at him.

"Hi, Saber. I didn't know you were still awake."

"I could say the same about you," she said with a smile.

"There are just so many things happening right now."

"Is it about the boy and his Saber?" she asked.

"A little. It's like my fight with Archer all over again."

He didn't want to bring up what happened with Sakura. She hadn't told him anything and to talk about it would only cause more trouble.

"I don't think that's the same. The boy doesn't seem to hate you like Archer did."

"Okay, I think I lost you."

"We had a misunderstanding, and they were just fighting back, and they stood and fought in our place against an enemy when we left. I could feel another Servant coming at us."

Shirou's eyes widened, that explained why he had told him to go on without him.

"Hey, Saber is it wrong to forget?" he asked, surprising her.

Saber sat at his side.

"I don't know whether it is right or wrong, but I don't think you should in the first place."

Shirou looked at her.

"The past can be an immense strength and an immense weakness as well," she continued. "Because I couldn't leave my past behind, I sought an impossible and selfish dream. But the past can also make you stronger as you learn from it."

"Saber…"

"Interesting words, Saber."

The two saw Medea appear out of nowhere.

"But there are other matters we must attend to," she said.

"What are you talking about, Caster?" Shirou asked.

"In the last fight a few days ago," Ilya said, entering the room with a serious expression, "another holy sword besides the one you and your knights appeared,

"Another knight, Ilya?"

"Onii-chan, its power was the same as Excalibur. No, it would be better to say that it was another Excalibur."

He looked at Arturia, who was now silent and he understood she was as shocked as him.

"Another Arturia…?"

"That's right boy, I don't know how it is possible but that is the only conclusion," Medea said, lowering her hood.

"But that's crazy!"

"Is it really, boy? As far as I know in the third War they managed to summon two sides of the same Servant. How do you know this isn't the same case?"

Shirou knew that it was a very plausible explanation, but still he got a weird feeling.

"Also Shirou, Rin said she saw a younger Kirei, so it's very possible he is also here," Ilya said as she walked up to him with a sad face.

"Wait, Ilya, you can't mean…."

"Kiritsugu Emiya is in this city," Arturia said, eyes on the ground.

* * *

Kirsche sighed as she walked forward and pulled the javelin out of the wall, the ultimate golem simply ceasing to exist as the weapon had torn through its body. Such was the power of the Lance of the End: it 'ended' the concepts which made up its target permanently and caused what they made up to cease to be. Furthermore, given its origin within the domain of the First Magic, nothing created by magecraft or technology could stand against it.

The Ultimate Spear, rivalled only by the constructs of the other sorceries.

Kirsche smiled as she remembered that this 'Lance of the End' was ultimately just a weaker version of the real thing, currently aimed in high orbit high over the North Pacific Ocean at the Marianas Trench: a figurative knife at Gaea's throat, a countermeasure and a sword conceived and forged with the triple threats of Aylesbury Valesti, the White Wing Lord, and the Black Princess of the Eclipse Moon.

If Gaea died, then the Beasts of Gaea and the 'children' of the True Ancestors died with her. But Humanity would stand. Victory at all costs.

"Now what should I do with you?" she wondered aloud as she finally turned to address Roche.

And then she blinked before looking around for the boy, eventually finding him shaking in what used to be a corner of the living room. She dismissed him then, fear was a normal response after seeing something that didn't simply take advantage of the laws of the world, but was actually the power of God.

She had no more business inside the mansion. Whatever happened to the girl and her teammates wasn't her concern (and if she wanted to she could win this war all by herself given the power of a fully-realized sorceress). She had already fulfilled the favor the Hellhound has asked of her, and Thor turned to spirit form as she walked out of what remained of the front door, only to halt as a great pillar of flames erupted on the other side of the castle.

"Showoff," she said considering such displays of power to be in bad taste. She did smile out of amusement though, and wondered if she should ask Ginevra about the battle later.

* * *

To understand better, rewinding a few minutes ago, Atosaki saw through the mirror how Edward's body lay there and how Kousuke was moving in to finish the job.

"Please! Kousuke-san, stop! Edward-san, stand up!"

She knew her voice couldn't reach them, but she didn't know what else to do. She didn't want any of them to die.

Celenike just continued to laugh at her.

In that moment, the ceiling broke and Tamamo landed at her side with a face full of rage.

She could feel the same magic that had provoked her Master's oni blood to go out of control in Celenike.

"Caster-san!" Atosaki called to her.

But the Servant ignored her, for two reasons: she wanted revenge for her Master and, even when she knew it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel angry at the girl.

She grabbed the woman by the neck.

"I don't know what you did! But you will stop my Master now!"

Celenike just smiled madly.

"It … can't be stopped… he just killed … the Hellhound…"

Tamamo's eyes widened in horror. Atosaki, who hadn't considered the possibility of him being dead, looked more closely at the mirror and realized he wasn't moving at all. His features had turned back to normal and the lines on his left arm were fading and then her tears began to fall.

"You… You… You bitch!" Tamamo yelled. She couldn't forget or forgive the fact that her Master had been forced to do such a thing.

She prepared to break Celenike's neck, but her mirror suddenly moved to her left side and stopped the crimson spear coming at her. Sparks flew in the air as she jumped back and landed next to Atosaki.

"Losing control over such small matter. You kids have no pride." Another voice spoke.

In that moment they saw a man enter the room, and the dim lights revealed he was Kayneth, with Diarmuid at his side.

"So you are the friends of that boy who took my arms?" he said with an evil smile.

"Took… your arms?" Atosaki didn't understand Kayneth's words.

"You don't need to understand, really. I would like to say this is purely business but I won't deny I will enjoy breaking you all."

Neither Atosaki nor Tamamo knew that the Black Faction had fixed Kayneth arms. Still the contract with Diarmuid was null, but the knight had decided to fight for him no matter what because of his honor, and he had receive mana by consuming the stones from the golems' core.

Diarmuid brandished his twin spears and dashed at Tamamo.

"Sōka Sōran!" she yelled as two tornados of wind and petals rushed out from her hands and flew towards the spearman.

To her surprise he just swung his crimson spear and the two cyclones disappeared as if they were nothing.

The spearman continued his attack as she blocked the spears with her mirror, unable to understand what had just happened.

Atosaki didn't know what to do, feeling guilty over everything happening at the moment. A scream turned her attention back to the mirror.

* * *

Nero didn't want to believe what she was seeing, her Master lying there as if he were dead. She jumped and landed at his side.

"Praetor?"

He didn't move.

"Stop joking, Praetor. Open your eyes!"

Once again he didn't answer and she was about to yell once again when she heard steps coming from behind again. Kousuke was walking up to her, and after seeing his hand dyed in blood she lost all self-control.

She screamed and dashed at him. It didn't matter that her Master considered him a friend or that he wasn't doing this on his own. In that moment there was only one thing on her mind.

He had hurt him, more than that he had… No, she would never accept that her Praetor died.

She swung her blade but the Oni dodged it with ease. She was too angry to attack properly. The crimson aura the Oni expelled concentrated around his left hand and took a form resembling a blade. He thrust his hand out, aiming at Nero's heart, but she managed to dodge by pure reflex. But she saw that such a small movement not only burned the ground where was standing, but also the wall behind her. She got ready to dash at him once again, but someone grabbed her arm.

"Stop… stop it, Saber…"

She turned to see her Master barely standing as blood continued to spill from the hole in his stomach.

"Praetor! Please don't move!"

"Don't … interfere… This fight isn't… over."

Edward began to walk past her, but she moved in front of him.

"What are you doing, you fool?! You really think I will let you fight in this state?!"

"Sorry… Saber." He raised his head and tried to smile but he couldn't. "Please… move."

"I won't! I won't! I won't!"

"Please…" he pleaded to her.

"You always do things like this! This is enough! You don't have to fight so hard! I will protect you!" she yelled and he could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"But … if I don't fight… nothing… will be saved."

"I don't care!"

"I… won't die… Saber."

And so he walked pass her. He knew she was just looking out for him, and if there was another way he would probably take it. He really hated to see her sad.

"Avenger… Justica… Help me…"

His hair turned red once again, along with his eyes.

"Black… Seal… Final Release! Dirge of Cerberus!"

Red, black and silver flames came from his arm and began to encircle him. His arms turned into claws, each one with the head of a hound up on the shoulder. The left one was white and the right was black, crimson flames surrounding his legs as they took on the aspect of crimson paws. A tricolored flame tail sprouted from behind him as the eyes of the hounds began to glow and their mouths opened as if they were alive.

The oni was genuinely surprised just like Astolfo, who had been watching all this from the edge of the room. But at the same time he was excited, this was what he wanted deep down inside, to fight with the beast that he had been unable to beat. It was part of the instincts forged in his blood.

Just like Kousuke was the most similar a human could be to an Oni, Edward had become the closest a human could be to a Hellhound.

Silver flames began to cover the hole in his stomach, and he could feel how the pain began to fade, at least for the moment. He turned towards Nero, who was walking up to him. He expected her to yell at him once again. But she just rested her head on his chest.

"Win… Win and come back, that's all I ask."

He smiled at her words.

"Yes, my emperor."

He turned back to face the oni who was now smiling, ready to fight. But in the next moment Edward disappeared and by the time the oni realized he was gone he had already reappeared in front of him, the white arm in front of his face.

"Azrael!" he yelled as a white hound made of flames burst from his arm and threw the oni deep into the forest.

It was quite ironic, how a few moments prior the roles were reversed. The Oni saw how The Hellhound walked to him and how now the three heads of the hellhound were looking at him, the two on his shoulders and one red behind him.

"I will definitely stop you, Kousuke. We will save Atosaki and all seven of us will go back!"

* * *

Another chapter done. Please Review.


	24. Chapter 23 Bonds

Chapter 23 Bonds

She woke up suddenly and for a moment she panicked, not recognizing where she was. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer in the place she used to call home. She looked at the space next to her and saw her brother in bed. She even wondered how he could sleep in the first place. Despite being a child, the recent events in her life had made Clare realize things were happening, things she couldn't completely understand.

She understood her parents were gone, she didn't know why or how or whose fault it was, but the people of the mansion where she was living right now were looking after her.

The first resident of the mansion she came to know was Atosaki. The young woman was there when she woke up, sitting at the side of the bed. She felt confused because she didn't know what was happening.

The last thing she remembered was her mother saying goodnight to her and her brother with a smile. It had been her idea for the three of them to sleep together. At first Atosaki didn't say anything. She stayed there because she was worried about the kids, and the others were hurt so they couldn't look after them.

Lance was leaning against the left side of the door, and he too seemed worried about the situation. Not every day one had to tell two five-year-old kids that they just lost their mother, and truth to tell, Edward and Kousuke bore some of the responsibility.

"Hello there," Atosaki said when she saw the little girl look around while still lying down.

"What? Where am I?"

Atosaki took a deep breathe, she wasn't ready for this.

"There was an… accident in the city…"

Clare's eyes widened.

"Wha… What about my brother?! My mother?"

Atosaki tried to calm the girl, to no avail.

"Your brother is fine. See, he's sleeping next to you."

She glanced to her right and saw her brother sleeping peacefully. She then got out of bed and walked over to him, and the moment she did he opened his eyes.

"Hey Clare," he said when he saw the face of his little sister.

To him everything seemed normal, but as he looked around and saw the lady sitting near them, those thoughts completely crumbled. Clare hugged him tightly and Atosaki smiled a little when she saw this. After a moment she told him about the "accident" which had occurred last night.

How their house had fallen apart and how she and her friends had found them when they passed by and brought them to the mansion.

"But…" Alex's voice had fear in it. "Till now…You haven't mention mom…"

Atosaki knew that this question was coming at her.

"Where is mom...?"

And in that moment Atosaki found herself unable to answer. She knew the words she had to say, but while looking at the poor kids and how sadness and fear began to appear on their faces she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was like during the apocalypse, when she kept denying everything until the one moment of revelation, and now she wanted to spare them the same heartbreak.

"She is dead." A voice was heard in the room.

Atosaki turned to see Leo standing behind her with a serious face. The moment they heard his answer, the children's hearts really did break as Leo began to walk out of the room, hearing their cries. When he was about to leave, he felt someone grabbing his arm. He stopped and realized the one who had done it was Lance. The spearman didn't even look at him, as if the only reason he was stopping him was so he could see the damage he'd done.

Clare couldn't help but hate Leo after that. But what she didn't know was that after he left the room he punched a wall hard enough to leave a mark.

"Goddammit!" he said with anger.

He didn't do it out of cruelty, the kids just deserved to know, and he knew that Atosaki wouldn't be able to tell them. He began to walk down the hallway, back to his room. He really hated this situation, the death of both innocents and innocence, because no matter what, those kids wouldn't be the same anymore, and those faces and those cries would remain in his memory for a long time.

Clare didn't remember what happened after hearing that news, and she found out she really didn't care. Clare felt guilty, believing this all happened because of what she asked her mother to do. It wasn't true though, the ones at fault were both Pleiades and the forces who decided to begin this war in the first place, but she had no idea.

As the days continued to pass she and her brother met the other residents of the house. But for the girl nothing mattered, every night she would dream about her mother and then she would wake up and realize it was nothing but a dream and once again she would cry.

She had different opinions about the inhabitants of the house.

Kage and Kirsche scared her.

Breno and Ginevra didn't seem to notice her or her brother, so she did the same.

Kousuke and that woman with fox ears along with Atosaki and the maids seemed like good people.

But there were two people she didn't trust and didn't want to see. One was Leo, she didn't like him since she saw him talk about the death of her mother so calmly. The other one was Edward, her reason for not liking him was a little more complex. It was his eyes. She hasn't seen him too much in those three days, always with a blond woman to whom she didn't pay too much attention, and his left arm was completely wrapped in bandages, but what bothered her was that every time he happened to look at her, his eyes showed pity, as if he could understand what she was feeling.

Yet in the end she would see he did understand.

"See? There is still someone who will be sad if you were gone. Clare, you are not alone. I know it hurts to remember, but never forget. Remember them until it doesn't hurt anymore. And until that moment, I will protect you."

Those were the words a person she hated had said when the only thing the girl wanted was to forget. She didn't know what the thing which had shattered the wall of her room and tried to smash her was, and she didn't care. She wanted it all to stop, the dreams, the suffering, but that person didn't let her.

And in that moment she thought that maybe, even if just a little, she didn't dislike him so much.

"Can't sleep?"

She saw her brother was awake and then she wondered how long she has been sitting up on her bed remembering the last few days.

"It's the first time that the mansion's felt so empty, don't you think?"

Clare understood, just like she felt guilty, her brother felt lonely and he needed people around him.

"You're just exaggerating, go to sleep."

"We haven't seen big sis Atosaki in a while."

"Yeah, you're right..."

She starting getting scared and understood the real meaning of the words the Hellhound had told her four days ago. It was a hidden goodbye. Even if everything went according to plan and he along with his teammates won the war, this world wasn't theirs and they would just go back to where they belonged. It was his way of saying that until that time came he would take care of her, and she could have felt angry because, in a way, he lied to her.

But instead she felt sad, she was scared not only for him but for the others residents of the house. Would they just disappear like her mom did? Without any warning, would they simply be gone?

She didn't want that.

"No matter what… None of you can disappear just yet… Please…" she said in a whisper.

* * *

The King of Heroes was seated on the throne of his ship as he saw two crimson stars clash in the middle of the sky. Each collision created shockwaves of destruction around them and the King smiled because that alone made the trip to that castle worth it.

"Hey Goldie!"

Gilgamesh turned to see Iskandar on his chariot, along with his Master at his side.

"You dare to stand on the same plane as the King?"

The King of Conquerors just laughed while Waver trembled in fear.

"Can't be helped, this is the best spot to see the fight."

"Of course, a King only searches for the very best."

"Shouldn't you be down there with your Master?"

"Mongrel please, my mercy is only for my servants and my people. I don't know the reason Tokiomi is doing whatever he's doing, but I don't owe the people of that castle anything."

"Well said. It seems this fight is something that hasn't happened since ancient times."

"I will admit you have good taste. I guess I can let you watch this with me, King of Conquerors."

Iskandar just smiled as he saw the two figures clash once again and how they continued to battle each other, neither backing down while turning the forest into a living hell, and that was enough to impress him.

"Impossible…" Waver said in disbelief. "That doesn't seem like a fight between magi at all!"

The two kings agreed with the boy completely, yet at the same time Gilgamesh denied his words. True, the fight between the Oni and the Hellhound wasn't something actual magi were capable of, but in his time a fight between such beings wasn't so strange. Gilgamesh felt the same thing as the first time he sensed those powers after his battle with Aldebaran.

The weakness he saw in present-day humanity simply wasn't in those two, and that was something he would never have expected. In his eyes, maybe there was still hope for this world.

"That's right, kid," Iskandar said with a smile. "It looks more like a battle between Servants."

* * *

Back in the castle, sparks flew as the blades of the Pharaoh and the Dragon Slayer met with each other.

Ramses could feel something off with every strike coming from the knight. The attacks were still powerful and his reflexes were still first class. Ramses moved at great speed around him as he continued to swing his Khopesh, sending many strikes at the silver knight from many direction at the same time.

But it was futile, Siegfried blocked each of the moves and Ramses stopped his attack to put some distance between the two of them. This exchange that apparently ended in failure for the Pharaoh just proved his guesses correct. He had fought with him before on the first night, and compared to that time his attacks were by a small fraction stronger and faster. The difference between the two fights was minimal, no one could tell the difference, and the only reason Ramses could was because he had fought him before.

And that small, almost unnoticeable lack of speed and power was giving him a chance to win, and while part of him wondered what the reason behind this delay could be, he also felt rage like never before. But his rage was directed at both the knight and, surprisingly, at himself.

The knight wasn't in his best shape and Ramses had already figured out his weakness, yet still he wasn't able to beat him. Even in such circumstances Ramses couldn't win one fair fight, but in that moment he understood and he couldn't help but feel stupid. While trying to get revenge on the knight for his defeat on the first night, he had almost made the same mistake his Master did back in his world.

"I'm so ashamed. A pharaoh fighting like a peon, what was I thinking?"

He was a king, not a swordsman, and it was obvious that in pure ability Siegfried was better than him. So in order to win he just needed to stop fighting like the opponent and fight as what he was, a king, the great ancestor who was remembered as the most powerful pharaoh in the history of the empire.

He took a deep breath, calming himself, and then looked back at Siegfried, who was prepared for the next wave of attacks.

"You foolish peon. You are not worthy of being killed by me."

A golden circle appeared in front of him, and then Siegfried felt he was in danger.

"Rise again ancient beast, heed the voice of the son of the sun!"

A golden flash filled the room, forcing Siegfried to look away for a second, and after the light died down he turned back to his enemy and couldn't believe what was in front of him.

Before him stood a gigantic beast with the body of a lion and the face of a woman, a sphinx. Ramses was at her side and the beast bowed her head to him. The Pharaoh caressed her long black hair and looked into her deep blue eyes as if he were speaking through his gaze alone.

The gigantic beast nodded after understanding the order and then faced the silver knight in front of them. This was one of the greatest weapons Ramses had at his disposal, the Sphinx of Abu El-Hol. In the war of his world, he didn't have the opportunity to use it because the Berserker he fought was just too strong, and he had underestimated her, believing his chariot would suffice.

Crimson flames covered the sphinx as the monster roared in front of Siegfried, and the power behind the roar alone was such that Siegfried was forced to retreat a few steps.

* * *

Caules found himself in a situation that made him believe that he had chosen the worst moment to try escaping the castle. He also made another mistake when he confronted his sister and didn't leave as quietly as possible. When it came to combat he was completely useless; sure he had other abilities which compensated for that, but in the moment it didn't really matter. He continued to dodge his sister's spider limbs while Edel carried him.

The bride moved at great speed while also dodging the arrow Chiron shot at them. His aim was a little off because of two things, the first being that he knew his Master didn't want to hurt her brother, and he was still worried about the power he had felt just moments ago. The situation was something very sad for the ancient hero, because in truth neither were in the wrong.

The brother had the right to seek his own path, even if that meant to separate from his sister. Yet Fiore was afraid because she believed it was her fault that he had decided to leave. Her last acts made her think this way, and it was a very reasonable fear. She had cut ties with him and then forced him to betray someone.

She didn't want to lose him when she had just decided to not give up her brother for her legs.

Chiron stopped and shot an arrow towards the ceiling. The arrow flew straight, but a few centimeters before striking the ceiling it changed its direction in a curve and then descended, striking Edel's left shoulder with such force that it nailed her into the ground.

The bride cried in pain as she let go of her Master and tried to free herself, but she was completely stuck, as just touching the arrow caused unbearable pain.

"Edel!" Caules yelled out of concern.

In the next moment a metallic limb grabbed him and pushed him into the wall. He saw his sister move towards him until they were face-to-face.

"Please… Don't leave."

"Sis…"

Caules was genuinely surprised when he saw how sad his sister looked. At the beginning he thought she didn't want to let him leave because no matter how others saw it, he had become a traitor, but then he started to believe this wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry for everything! I lied, you are my brother, my only brother!"

He saw how tears began to fall and how his sister began to hug him tighter.

"I'm sorry, sis… I can't remain here."

Fiore seemed a little taken back by his words.

"Of course you can!"

"Sis, when Darnic finds out about what I did he would just kill me."

Fiore knew he was right and she could see how he was trembling from the thought alone. It wasn't a secret to anyone, that Caules was afraid of Darnic. Truthfully, even Fiore was scared of her grandfather.

Edel's eyes widened when she learned what would happen to him if he wasn't able to leave—no, if she wasn't able to take him out of the castle.

She didn't want that.

If he died, she would be alone once again.

"Mas… ter…" She tried to stand up, but it was futile, she was still stuck.

Fiore looked at her brother, he was speaking the truth and she didn't know what to do.

"But… I can talk with him…" Those were falsehoods he didn't want to hear. "If… you apologize… I'm sure…"

Caules sighed and pat his sister on the head, he could ask her to leave with him. She would probable say yes but that would be dangerous. Darnic didn't care about him, if he left sure he would try to kill him in revenge, but if he was cautious he could survive until Darnic lost interest. But if he took Fiore with him, the only person in the whole clan Darnic believed worthy of being his successor, he would hunt them no matter what.

He then hugged her back and for a second Fiore believed he wouldn't leave.

"I love you sis. Never forget that."

Fiore's eyes widened as he broke off from the hug, and she looked at her brother in disbelief. Caules put his index finger on her forehead.

"Please have a good dream."

Before she could ask about what he mean, she felt tired and her vision turned blurry, and then her consciousness began to fade.

The metal limbs fell to the ground as Caules caught her. Chiron walked to Edel and easily removed the arrow from her shoulder.

"Leave," he said with a smile.

Edel didn't seem to understand what was happening.

"You and your Master managed to defeat us by taking us by surprise. That way Lady Fiore won't be accused of anything."

"Thanks," Caules said while weakly smiling back.

Chiron walked to the boy and took his Master into his arms.

"Just to be sure, what did you do to her?" he asked, though without concern as he knew Caules would never hurt her.

"An illusion. That is my goodbye, so please take care of her."

Chiron just nodded, as in truth he planned on letting him go from the very beginning but as before, he found the situation something the two would need to resolve themselves and he couldn't intrude.

Edel looked at him like she wasn't really convinced, after all a few moments ago he had just pinned her to the ground.

"But Master Caules, I didn't know you were able to create illusions. According to Lady Fiore you were a summoner."

"Well, I actually suck at that. What they saw when I apparently did a summoning was actually a mere illusion."

"I see, since the being isn't actually there, you can keep it for longer periods of time and if the illusion is good it's no wonder it tricked the other members of your family."

"That's right. But even with that I'm not so great. You see, I can cast very realistic illusions but just one at a time. So now that I created another one, the last one I cast will vanish."

"You mean the one you put on the hand of that girl?"

"You knew?!" Caules was shocked. "Then why you didn't say anything?"

Chiron just laughed it off.

"Ah, do you think a mere illusion can trick the eyes of the one who was able to see the potential and talent in all those heroes I trained?"

Caules couldn't say anything, but nodded in agreement.

"As for the reason I remained silent, it was the better course of action. I wasn't sure about what you were going to do, and either way the battle against her faction was inevitable."

"It was a fifty-fifty choice…" Caules said in a whisper.

Yet Chiron managed to hear him.

"Yes, but I think the enemy gambled on that very possibility, and if they did I think we are going to lose."

Chiron didn't know how right he was.

* * *

A few moments earlier inside othe dungeon, Tamamo found herself barely able to avoid getting skewered by Diarmuid's twin spears. It wasn't really so much a matter of power, but speed. After her first spell was disabled, she didn't know how else to fight a spearman who could nullify magic. But as she continued to block Diarmuid's attacks she realize that some petals of the last spell she had shot a few moments ago were still floating around.

So she understood that the golden spear didn't nullify her magic, it just cut through it. With his spear he slashed the current of wind and stopped the flow of the air, making it look like the tornado had disappeared.

So in other words she wasn't completely helpless, as that power was only in the crimson spear, so she just needed to create a bigger spell he couldn't cut. Yes, that was the ability of the Noble Phantasm of the Irish hero, Gáe Dearg. But as if Diarmuid had just read her mind, he began a fierce attack that didn't give her any time to cast a spell.

The only thing keeping her alive was her mirror, which she used as a shield. The green servant swung the golden spear once again and sent her flying into the wall behind Atosaki. Atosaki saw Tamamo crash next to her and couldn't help but feel useless.

She had stopped watching Celenike's mirror so she didn't know what had happened to the others, but it was all too painful.

She didn't want any of this. People had been hurt because of her. Lance was gone and Kousuke had just killed Edward and who knew, maybe even Kage was dead.

"All because I trust him…" Tears began to fall. "This is my fault!"

But in the next moment someone slapped her. She turned and saw that it had been Tamamo.

Diarmuid, who was about to dash forward once again towards the Servant of the Spell was stopped by the kitsune's sudden movement.

"Shut up, you martyr!" Tamamo yelled back, completely angry. "You think that we don't know that? But while my Master and the others have risked so much for you, you don't have the right to feel pity for yourself, so stop wasting time and call that stupid Lancer!"

"But Caster-san… Lance is… Lance…"

She was stopped by a voice she never expected to hear once again.

"I will definitely stop you Kousuke! We will save Atosaki and all seven of us will go back!"

Atosaki decided to look at the mirror and so did Celenike and Kayneth, who seemed surprised by Edward's new aspect.

"That… that wasn't in the information!" Celenike yelled, exasperated.

Atosaki had mixed feelings when she saw him, she was happy he wasn't dead, but his appearance…

She wasn't the type of person to judge, but when she saw the hound behind his head cover the upper part of his face like a mask she felt a little fear. But that fear stemmed from what could happen to him. The last time he used so much power he lost the use of his arm for three days, not counting all his other wounds, so she wondered what price he would need to pay for such power.

The Rin she had met back home told her that everything came with consequences. In her case, to be able to heal others, she sacrificed parts of her very soul, and using her healing abilities too much could potentially kill her.

"No wonder that useless Saber seems to believe so much in him," Tamamo said with a sigh of relief since her Master hadn't killed anyone.

"Does this present a problem?" Kayneth inquired.

Celenike didn't know what to say, she never expected the possibility of the Hellhound winning, with her information she thought that either the oni would win or they would destroy each other.

"No, they are just delaying the inevitable."

Tamamo laughed at that.

"You really are funny," she said with a sarcastic smile. "If he were in control my Master would definitely win, but right now I'd call it pretty even."

"Why is that?" Celenike asked. Her smile had disappeared, replaced by a frown.

"Because to fight against a Cerberus is to fight against three beings at the same time," she said with a smile as she looked back at the mirror and saw them clash once again.

"I will believe in you Master of Saber…" she said in a whisper. "I believe you can bring him back."

"What nonsense are you speaking, you fox?" Kayneth said while raising an eyebrow and looking at Tamamo. "Lancer, finish her off."

The spearman dashed at her with godlike speed and continued his attack. Little by little he began to inflict small cuts all over her body.

"Damn!" Tamamo cursed beneath her breath. "I only need a couple of seconds!"

But in less than a second, four blows came in from four different directions. Still she focused on parrying only the thrust of the golden spear. The reason was obvious, as she assumed that spear had a passive ability just like the crimson one, and it was too risky to get caught by that.

But while focusing her shield on the golden one she was at the mercy of the other. Eventually she would succumb to the spearman. It wasn't that Tamamo was useless at close range fights, she had even managed to fight on par with Saber of Zero, but in this case the limited space and the fact that Diarmuid was superior in speed and number of weapons than Saber almost sealed the abilities of the goddess.

Atosaki saw all of this and desperately wanted to help, this was her fault so she needed to make it up to them. She wanted to repay those who even after getting hurt kept fighting for her sake. Her hands balled into fists.

She was too weak to help Tamamo in any way.

"If only he were here…"

She didn't want to feel so useless. She didn't want him to be gone. She loved him so much, and she wanted him to be with her. She was too focused on her thoughts she didn't notice a crimson glow on her hand.

She didn't know it, but in order to save her life and Lance's and make it look as if they had been defeated, Edel murmured three words to Astolfo.

"Don't… kill… him."

But the glow was noticed by the other two Masters present in the room. Celenike's eyes widened, not believing what she was seeing. On the other hand Kayneth didn't seem to care so much about the phenomenon and just decided to dispose of the girl.

"Fervor mio Sanguis!"

A whip made of mercury moving at the speed of sound rushed at the girl, ready to end her life.

"Atosaki!" Tamamo yelled, full of concern, as no matter what she wouldn't be able to get there on time.

But at the very moment, even when she didn't know the reason behind the action, she was about to realize she did it.

"Lance!" she yelled without even thinking.

A blue light surrounded the girl and in the next second the whips of Volumen Hydrargyrum only hit an empty space. She felt weird, she felt warm, as if someone were embracing her. By pure reflex she had closed her eyes and the moment she opened them, she never could have expected to see him.

Kayneth was completely shocked when he saw the man clad in blue holding a crimson spear in one hand and supporting the girl with his other arm.

Even when he had a visor over his eyes, everybody could see he was angry.

"Lance…?" Atosaki couldn't believe it.

Even when it didn't kill him in the moment, Astolfo inflicted a very deep wound from which any other Servant would have died. But it was a good thing he had the Battle Continuation ability, so he could withstand even fatal amounts of damage.

The blue spearman looked down at his Master and gave her a warm smile. On her side there were many things she wanted to say to him, many things she wanted to know, but simply seeing that smile of his, she could leave those concerns behind, at least for a moment.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and look carefully at his condition. The wound he had received four days ago were still visible.

"Just look at yourself Lance. I'm so sorry," she said with a sad smile.

The spearman only answered was a kiss to her forehead and a serious look while waiting for her orders. Atosaki wondered for a second what she should do, but as she heard another crash and saw Tamamo cornered, she knew what she had to do.

"Please help Caster-san!" she pleaded.

At her order, Lance ignored all his wishes to kill the one who had inflicted such pain on Atosaki. Instead, all the rage he felt at seeing her wounded body and eyes swollen from all the tears she had cried, he would vent it on Diarmuid, his fellow Irishman.

In the next second Diarmuid, alerted by his instincts, turned and he could only see a blue flash and a bright red spear thrust at him. He stopped the attack with his own twin spears yet the strength behind the blow was so great that the green spearman was sent flying, breaking through the wall and into the cell next door.

Atosaki, whose chains had been broken by Lance, dragged herself over to where Tamamo was.

"Are you alright, Caster-san?"

"Ye… yeah," Tamamo said, completely surprised by Lance's power.

Before Lance continued his fight, he turned towards the two and for some reason Tamamo understood the reason behind his action.

"Don't worry, I will keep her safe. That is the wish of my dear Master after all."

Lance nodded and dashed at Diarmuid, who had just stood up.

Kayneth tried to launch a surprise attack at the tired Tamamo, but she was one step ahead.

"Don't move," Tamamo said, serious.

But instead of show any sign of fear Kayneth just laughed.

"Of course I won't. Before anything I too want to see who the winner will be in this fight between monsters."

Tamamo grit her teeth, not liking the name that was given to her Master. She was about to answer when a great explosion was heard and suddenly the image in the mirror disappeared.

* * *

What used to be the center of a forest had turned into a living hell where all life had been replaced by the smell of charred trees. Inside that place one had to endure the high temperatures and any normal human standing near the area would feel their flesh burn.

Yet two beings whose origin was fire were there, one wanting to destroy the other who sought to stop him and turn him back to who he used to be.

"Hell's Fang!" Edward yelled as he swung his left claw.

Following the movement, black flames in the form a claw came from the ground aiming at the Oni, who replied by shooting a beam of pure energy.

As they continued to exchange blows across the scorching ground, Edward couldn't help but feel that the world was playing a bad joke with him. Because he used to turn places into wastelands he had been given such a name, because of the fear he used to inflict damage on others and how he was able to kill without showing any remorse or sadness.

What had been lost would not return. Those words were what led the way he lived. So in other words, he hated those who took from others. As a person who had everything took from him this was understandable, but at the same that forced him to live in hypocrisy.

While hating those who took from others, during his life he had taken the lives of many people, believing that the ones he burned deserved such a fate and that while killing them he was protecting others didn't change the fact that he was a hypocrite. That was why he never intended to inherit his father's ideals because after seeing his actions he knew he was also a hypocrite.

To save a person meant not only to take the harm away from them, it also meant to help the person continue a normal life. In that aspect his father had saved him, but in the past all his acts contradicted his ideal.

He fought on many battlefields and killed many opponents to protect the weak, but even so he wasn't saving anyone. He just killed people and that alone didn't solve anything. It wouldn't be weird if some time after he left one problem, another one came along and everything reverted to the way it had been before.

The bad thing about heroes was that they made people depend on them too much. They showed themselves as saviors but in reality people needed to solve their own problems. One could help, but that was it. That was why he said he never tried to save anyone. He would only protect them and leave those people to decide their own fate.

Heroic Spirit Emiya understood this and so did his father. That was why he didn't believe in heroes and he could only seek a miracle in order to fulfill his wish.

That was why Edward, besides this case, only said the word "save" once before.

But no matter how much he hated to take from others, he found himself in a situation in which he might end up stealing another life.

The oni came at him, and before Edward could react he had disappeared just to reappear behind him, ready to shoot off another beam.

What he never expected was that the tail of the Hellhound move as a whip, wrapping itself around Kousuke's arm and sending him into the sky.

The oni continued to ascend for a few seconds but notice that the Hellhound was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly he felt something on the back on his head.

"Wake up already, Kousuke!" Edward yelled as he grabbed his skull and dove while holding it to smash him into the ground.

He created a crater and took a few steps away from the oni. He was tired, he didn't know how long would be able to last, since they had been fighting for a while.

Edward breathed heavily as he inspected the hole in his stomach. His silver flames were keeping him from bleeding to death, but as Dirge of Cerberus also hurt his body the wound wasn't healing as fast as it would in other circumstances.

A roar snapped him back and he saw the oni standing up, crimson eyes looking at his. The weakness of the oni was that his entire strategy consisted of frontal assaults, but as a being with such power that alone would be enough to destroy any enemy.

Once again the hazy red aura surrounded the oni, concentrating on his left hand as if holding a blade, and dashed at Edward with amazing speed, not even giving him a chance to defend.

Both of Edward's arms stopped the thrust mere inches from its target. Edward felt a great strength coming from it and saw how he was slowly being pushed back. Things couldn't get worse as he saw the oni preparing his other fist to launch another punch.

This time two spectral hands appeared to stopped the second blow. But as Edward continued his struggle to stop the attack, the oni continued to howl, only seeking the destruction of his enemy. The spectral arms began to crack along with Edward's real arms and mask. Eventually the spectral arms broke and the oni's blade struck Edward near the heart, making the latter scream in pain.

This wasn't enough, however. He continued to try to pierce the Hellhound with both hands. Even in that situation Edward continued to struggle. Tired of it, he lifted him into the air using his thrusting hand as a support.

"Die!" the oni yelled, not understanding how the person in front of him didn't die.

Suddenly the heads of the hound on Edward's shoulders began to move and bit the oni on the arm which was used for the attempts to pierce their master. The oni felt pain but didn't show it in any way, but he could see that the aura surrounding him was disappearing, as if being absorbed.

By pure reflex the oni let the Hellhound go and threw him into the sky. As Edward began to fly he felt as if everything was moving in small motion. He saw the Oni ready for his next attack, an attack which would most likely kill him.

"Win… Win and come to me that's all I ask."

Nero's voice rang in his head as he broke his ascension in the sky and looked at the Oni.

"Like hell I'd die! I made a promise!"

The oni roared as the aura from his right hand began to grow and he shoot a sword-like beam at Edward.

"I promised I'd come back! Like hell I'd leave her alone again."

"Just die!"

As the crimson beam got close to him, the mouths of the hounds opened as balls of flame of the corresponding hound's color began to form.

"Cerberus…"

The spheres of the hounds on his shoulders grew bigger.

"…Roar!"

From his mouth came a beam made of crimson flames. At the same time the two heads on his shoulder shot a beam matching their color. The three beams converged and combined into one just before the two powers met.

A shockwave produced by the impact shot out in the middle of the sky.

The oni put all his strength in what seemed to be the final attack, but no matter how much he tried he couldn't overcome the enemy's attack. On the contrary the scorched ground under him began to crack, and he could see how his beam began to fade.

And the only thing he could hear was the roar of the Hellhound.

In one second the attack of the Hellhound destroyed his and in the next he was consumed by flames.

A gigantic explosion covered the entire forest.

* * *

Leo and Kage, who continued their fight against Darnic, couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"What is that?" Darnic asked in horror.

Kage remained silent as Leo went on observing the explosion that ruthlessly devoured the forest. The windows of the room were shattered by the pressure.

"Even when I said to hold back a little," he said, serious. "No wonder he is called the Hellhound."

* * *

The shockwave of the explosion was so strong that even the ships of the two kings that were in the sky were rocked by such power.

Gilgamesh would normally be angry at such a thing, but instead he just laughed.

"That's it, gatekeeper of hell," he said with a smile. "That is what makes humanity so great. The wish to live, not only to survive. That is the power humans have that can overcome gods."

Iskandar was surprised by his word. The King of Heroes hadn't heard any of the words Edward had said, but he spoke driven by what many called instinct.

"Interested in that boy, Goldie?"

"Maybe a little, but don't misunderstand, King of Conquerors. Compared to the king he is still a mere dog. No matter how special a dog may be, he will remain a dog without question."

* * *

Kirsche was about to exit the forest when she felt a tremor and turned to see an explosion coming at her direction. She immediately knew the one responsible for this.

"I will murder you, Hellhound."

She rapidly created a barrier to repel the flames, but even when she was far away the flames felt strong, stronger that any she had ever seen. She could see how the flames created small cracks in her barrier. Still she was too powerful for such a thing to reach her and besides some ash on her clothes she didn't suffer anything else.

As the flames died and the smoke began to fade, she dropped the barrier, ready to unleash her fury on the Hellhound. Then she blinked, surprised by what she was seeing.

The whole forest was no more.

* * *

Another chapter done we are getting close to the end of this arc. Please review


	25. Chapter 24 Real Pain

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 24: Real Pain

Oblivious to the three factions that were fighting in the castle situated on the outskirts of the city, at least one of the members of the remaining groups was watching the situation unfold. So the moment a gigantic beam of flame destroyed the entire forest along with many of the familiars which had been deployed in that area, it generated mixed feelings for the observers.

Medea saw the living hell and her shock was evident to all present in the living room. After they saw a pillar of crimson flames on the horizon through the window the sorcereress had decided to investigate what was happening there. yet she never expected what she saw.

"What's wrong Caster?" Arturia asked her when she saw the sorcereress stop and react as if she had seen something unbelievable.

"Impossible… Such flames… Those flames shouldn't exist anymore."

"What did you see?" Ilya asked, really worried as this was the first time she had seen the spellcaster act like that.

"Two beings fighting each other, one wielding the power of a demon and the other of the beast that shouldn't be."

"A fight between Servants?" Shirou asked.

"No boy, what is worst is that it wasn't a fight between Servants. it was a fight between humans. Well, if you can consider those being humans."

"A fight between humans…? Impossible something like that..." Shirou said in disbelief.

It made sense, as a mere fight wouldn't be able to surprise Medea to such an extent, so it was normal for Shirou to be shocked.

"What's more, they turned the area in which they were fighting into a wasteland. The forest that was there was turned into a crater." As she continued to look she saw another figure past the smoke. "Impossible! A Sphinx! Just who are these people?!" she thought out loud, hiding her expression with her hood.

Shirou eyes went blank, he knew of a person able to create such levels of destruction.

"Any victims?!" he asked after a few seconds.

"None," was the answer Medea gave him.

Medea decided to leave the room as the other three moved towards the window and saw a great pillar of smoke in the distance.

* * *

From the highest spot in the fortress known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Shirou Kotomine along with Semiramis and Archer of Red saw the great explosion and while Shirou remained calm, observing carefully, Semiramis was shocked with wonder as to who could have created such an explosion.

"Is he a member of the Black Faction?"

"No," Shirou answered. "If they had a person with such power Pleiades would have informed us of it."

"That is true. But then to which group does the perpetrator belong?" she said as she turned back to the other Servant. "What do you think Archer?"

But the girl didn't answer and for the first time since Semiramis met her she showed emotion as a smile was drawn on her face.

Archer of Red jumped from the fortress as she disappeared from her sight, making Semiramis angry because she did not answer.

"How dare that girl ignore me!" she fumed.

"Let her be." At that very moment Pleiades emerged from a golden portal with a frown.

This had become something personal with the Hellhound and the Oni since it seemed that no matter how much she tried to kill them they wouldn't die. Their faction had become such a variable that even when Antares told her to leave them alone she just couldn't.

"He is a very dangerous man. He doesn't belong to any of the factions that my fellows Counter Guardians supervise."

Shirou seemed amused, a sixth power which didn't seem to be bound by the authority of the World. But that was impossible; even he was bound to a certain degree. It made him wonder what those people could possess to achieve something like that.

"The one who created that explosion has a weird arm just like yours, Shirou."

Semiramis looked at her Master, completely surprised by the sudden revelation. He hadn't told her anything about it. Shirou realized the look she was giving him and mentally cursed Pleiades for stating that aloud.

He didn't say anything and ripped the sleeves of his shirt, revealing white sigils on them. As a Servant, even when he had acquired a human body he still conserved his Noble Phantasm. those two arms: Right Hand-Evil Eater and Left Hand-Xanadu Matrix.

Shirou smiled to himself.

"The one who did that seemed like a person coming from hell. I wonder who will win between the devil arm and the god hand."

* * *

Julius saw the image on the monitor go blank and the last thing he saw was fire consuming everything.

"Interesting man, don't you think, Julius?" Assassin of White asked, completely amused.

But on his side Julius wore a grim expression. He could only see this as another threat towards his brother Leo.

"No matter what, I can't let this man near him. It's too dangerous."

"Who aren't you going to let near whom, Julius?" A voice that made Julius shiver was heard.

The black-clad assassin turned to see Leo standing on his doorstep, without his usual smile. Julius didn't mind. He had long accepted that Leo didn't see him as a brother at all, so any animosity between the two didn't exist.

Leo didn't wait for his so-called brother to answer and just looked at the images on the monitor. He stood there for a few moments analyzing every possible detail and piece of information available.

"Do we know who this people are?" Leo asked, completely serious.

"The two who turned the forest into a wasteland appear to be teammates of the man who managed to defeat Blackmore." Julius said without emotion.

Leo seemed to wonder for a second.

"Deploy more cameras. We need more information about this little group."

"As you wish."

Leo began to walk away but he suddenly stopped.

"Don't forget your place, 'Brother.' You don't have the right to decide what I do nor whom I meet."

Julius didn't answer and Leo took his silence as understanding and left the room. The orange-haired Assassin who had seen the whole scene whilst completely ignored by Leo just stared and couldn't help but wonder what had happened between the two.

To others, Leo seemed like a cheerful person and he treated them kindly, but with Julius, Julius was a completely different story. He was chillingly cold towards him, as if he were a different person. No, that was wrong. The truth was that Leo couldn't treat Julius as a person because in his eyes, Julius was never a person in the first place.

"Are you alright, Julius?"

The raven assassin didn't answer right away, and he kept staring at the spot where Leo had been standing.

"… Yeah… Let's keep watching… Assassin."

* * *

The last thing Kousuke remembered before his mind erupted into chaos was everything turning crimson.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his body hurting but not unbearably so, though the pain felt fresh. It was hard to move. He noticed the upper part of his black kimono was gone and his body was covered in burns. He could smell charred ground and wood and the great temperature around him. He really didn't have the slightest idea of what had just happened. Then sudden images began to come at him.

Him punching Edward.

Tamamo on her knees telling him to come back.

A person who resembled a hellhound more than a human.

As the images continued to come he put a hand on his forehead and tried to stand up.

"Don't move too suddenly. I didn't hold back with the last attack." Kousuke heard a familiar voice speak.

He barely managed to get on his feet and moved his eyes towards the sound of the voice, and they widened. Edward sat a few meters in front of him, his aspect different to say the least. It was hard to recognize him at first because of the crimson mask which covered his face. Seconds later the mask cracked and the left part of it fell to the ground and revealed his features.

"Edward…" Kousuke looked at him carefully. He had a hole in his stomach and a second deep cut on his right pectoral. "Just what…?"

Edward just sighed as he remained seated. He would like to stand up and reassure him he wasn't as bad as he looked, but that would be a lie. Truth to be told, Kousuke should have been in worst condition than Edward as he received such an attack head on, and while the final strike of the oni absorbed part of the impact, that only avoided immediate death.

After the clash, Edward used what remained of his power to heal Kousuke the best he could.

"Don't worry… Besides me, you didn't hurt anyone," he said with a grin. "The forest on the other hand…"

In that moment Kousuke began to look around him. They were inside a big crater and besides the crumbling castle there didn't seem to be anything near.

"Just… what happened?"

Edward sighed once again.

"You really are a tough bastard. Honestly… if I just had to beat you… I wouldn't have to go so far. But stopping someone is always… harder."

Kousuke didn't know how to answer, but the images coming at him made him understand what had happened.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"Don't worry about it. But could you go back to the castle? The others might need help."

"You sure? You seem—"

Edward interrupted him. "Don't worry, I'll catch up later."

Kousuke turned back and began to slowly walk away, still painful to move. Suddenly Cerberus, the silver wolf appeared and signaled with his head like telling him to get on.

"It seems he got attached to you," Edward said with a laugh.

Kousuke didn't turn and simply hopped on the wolf which began to run, not daring to turn back. He had seen the state he was in and understood the reason he asked him to go ahead. As a sign of friendship and respect he decided to obey.

In the state Edward was in he would only slow Kousuke down so he couldn't bring him along.

"You better catch up!" he yelled before disappearing in the distance.

Edward saw him leave his sight as the hounds on his shoulders completely broke and the fragments turned into ashes before reaching the ground. The silver flames surrounding the hole in his stomach disappeared and while the hole had closed a little, it wasn't near healed. Edward began to breath heavily.

"Really… Nero is… going to get angry," he said with a weak smile. "I'm… leaving the rest in your hands… Kousuke."

He was about to pass out, but in the next moment he heard a sound that woke him up a little and he turned his head. He couldn't distinguish the entity due to the darkness of the night but stood up, expending the little strength left in him. He didn't know how it managed to get there without him or Kousuke noticing.

"I must mention how much I despise the way you manage to cheat death so easily, Hellhound."

It was weird, the voice sounded happy. It took him a few seconds but he recognized the being in front of him.

"Crap." That word was perfect for the situation.

* * *

Kousuke moved at great speed through the wasteland that sometime before had been a forest, until he arrived at the castle walls. The outer walls were full of big cracks and seemed they were barely kept standing. He could hear the sound of a battle coming from the broken room where his fight had begun.

He prepared to continue when a pile of rubble near the wall began to shake and Nero emerged, her dress covered in dust.

"Really Praetor, I know I told you I love such grand displays, but you need to be more aware of your surroundings," she complained to no one in particular as she tried to clean her dress.

Suddenly she noticed Kousuke on top of Cerberus and for a second her eyes turned blank, and in the next moment, before the samurai could even blink, she rushed at him, grabbed him by the neck and pushed him into the ground.

"Where is he?!" she yelled. "Where is my Praetor?!"

Kousuke was to surprise to answer he could see the hate in Nero's eyes. He didn't completely remember all the details, so he didn't know he had pierced her Master's stomach before her very eyes.

"Answer me!" Nero yelled as she tightened her grip.

Suddenly Nero felt a bit of pain on her arm. Cerberus was biting her while looking at her with pleading eyes. In that moment Nero realized the wolf was still there and let Kousuke go.

Kousuke coughed a little before looking at the red-dressed Servant.

"He is at the center of the crater. He told me to go ahead," Kousuke said while Nero continued to glare at him.

Nero began to walk away.

"Saber…" Kousuke said, making the emperor stop. "Your Master beat me."

Nero didn't turn.

"Of course he did," she said with a solemn voice. "He promised me he would, and not once has he broken a promise."

Kousuke smiled a little at the statement. He understood she was just hiding her concern since just a few moments ago she was ready to break his neck believing her Master dead. Normally he would be angry about this but he knew that Tamamo would have done the same in her situation, so he let it pass. After all he owed the Hellhound one.

"That fox is in the basement. She went after Atosaki. Your blade is up there," Nero said, and pointed at the room where she had been a few moments ago. She began to run once again before Kousuke could even say anything.

Kousuke saw her leave but his attention shifted as he heard a roar in the very room Nero had pointed out.

* * *

Siegfried yelled in pain as his body crashed into the wall. The strength of the sphinx was something that even the dragon he fought in life couldn't even begin to compare. So as he was fighting a beast that surpassed the one from which he gained his protection, it was possible for him to get hurt.

But instead of feeling despair within, the knight was confused. He was known as a kind person who was very loyal and always helped others, but that very way of life left him with a void inside his heart. Because he helped others, even when at the beginning he didn't mean to, he pushed his own needs to the side.

That was the reason behind the void of his heart, because the more he helped others, the more he began to wonder what his own wish was, what it was he sought in life. People needed a meaning, an objective to work toward. Someone lacking this would be a very broken person. No, wrong, as even broken existences like Shirou Emiya found a meaning, even if that very meaning was twisted as well.

Yet in times past his behavior wasn't so uncommon. No one noticed and the few who did were ignored. Siegfried didn't listen to them because by the time others noticed, his selflessness had become a fundamental part of him. Still the confusion he felt every time he loaned his aid didn't fade and instead pushed him to give even more of himself, trying to get rid of his confusion in doing so.

In his final moments he realized his mistake. He realized what he really wanted. Right now, in front of him was someone completely opposite of him, just like he wanted to be a real ally of justice Ramses was the epitome of a person who followed his own desires.

His confusion stemmed from the fact that such a selfish being could have such power. He rolled to one side to dodge the claws wrapped in fire from the Effigy. The claws left a big hole in the ground, but not only that, the pressure behind the blow made him retreat a few steps even when he wasn't too close.

One hit: that was all it would take to be defeated, even with his great protection, one hit would decide his fate. Not to say that the knight was fighting a losing fight, he had been in a situation like this before, going against the dragon that gave him his invulnerability.

Siegfried jumped toward the head of the sphinx and swung his silver blade with such speed and precision that it should have severed the neck of such a beast. But the sphinx was faster. Moving her head in an impossible way she managed to dodge the attack and the sword only sliced off a few strands of her hair.

Surprised by the dodge, the dragon slayer was too slow to react when the sphinx twisted her neck like a whip and hit his right side with a head covered in flames.

The knight crashed into the floor as he cried in pain and rolled to put out the flames. The last attack had left some burns on his right arm, making movement difficult.

His defeat had begun since the moment he had been hit by the shockwave of the Hellhound's last attack. Even when that shockwave didn't hurt him, at the very least it distracted him for a second. Ramses didn't suffer any damage, since the sphinx stood in front of him as a shield to protect him while her body was covered in flames.

That shockwave stopped the fight between the two Servants for a single second, creating an opening for the one who reacted faster. The sphinx was a creature led by pure instinct, so unlike Siegfried she didn't wonder about what could have caused such a big explosion.

Siegfried stood using his good arm and his sword as support. He looked at the eyes of the monster waiting for the next attack, yet the attack never came.

The Pharaoh began to look at the edge of the room, the very same Astolfo and Nero had used moments ago and completely ignored the knight.

"Don't interfere, peon!" Ramses yelled.

To Siegfried such action didn't make any sense, and even seemed like an insult toward him. A few moments later Kousuke, who had scaled the wall with the help of the silver wolf, appeared.

Kousuke didn't answer and continued on Cerberus and for a moment his eyes met the Pharaoh's and no more words needed to be spoken. Kousuke moved at great speed and grabbed his misplaced blade just to disappear seconds later through the hole the Sphinx had earlier created.

"Now we can continue," Ramses declared with a smirk as he saw the knight barely standing. "Now you understand your place, lowly peon!"

The reason he stopped his attack and waited for Kousuke to leave couldn't have been more venal. He really hated the knight in front of him, so he wanted to enjoy the moment he ended his existence. In other words, he gave the knight a break because of his own ego, not an act that could be confused with honor or respect. It was just the Pharaoh playing with someone he considered inferior.

This break didn't last more than a few seconds, but once again Ramses' arrogance had played against him, had he disregarded Kousuke appearance and finished the knight his victory would be assured, but that time lapse, which in any other case wouldn't have made a difference, gave Siegfried the potential to turn the tide of the battle.

Siegfried ignored the pain in his arm and grabbed his blade with both hands. A misty twilight aura began to surround him. Even with all the wounds the Sphinx had inflicted on him the aura grew around him and his sword shone with such intensity under the moonlight that even the Pharaoh couldn't deny it was beautiful.

"Oh? So this is your last struggle?" Ramses wondered in a condescending tone.

Little did he know, what he called a last struggle was Siegfried's Noble Phantasm. The Sphinx ran at the dragon slayer moving with such power that her body wrapped in flames seemed like a comet.

Regardless, Siegfried didn't surrender to the pressure. Even when he could felt death whispering in his ear he didn't lose sight of his target. This was possible because the Sphinx evoked the same feeling of danger and doom of the dragon he had faced in life, so even in a situation between life and death the knight could remain calm.

Siegfried knew that even with his sword he might not be able to win with power alone, so he needed to unleashed it with perfect timing, at the closest distance possible

Too soon, it wouldn't create enough impact to destroy the beast and too late could mean death before he could unleash it.

He heard her roar.

It was too early.

He could feel the ground under him tremble.

Not the time yet.

He could feel the heat of her flames burning his skin.

"O sword, let thee be filled…" he said in a whisper.

He tightened the grip on his blade and prepare to yell the name of the sword that just like Excalibur had for King Arthur provided him many victories in hopeless situations.

"…Balmung!"

In the next second he swung his sword and released a flash of light. Instead of a direct beam like many of the other holy swords the power of the blade manifested like a surging wave with the simple purpose of destruction.

The two powers collided and destroyed what little remained from the room.

But that clash only lasted a second, as in the next, the silver light grew stronger and began to push the sphinx's back. There were two reasons for that: at point blank range Balmung's power increased and the second was that the sword itself was resonating with the soul of the dragon slayer, who was even prepared to disappear if he had to, if it meant defeating the enemy in front of him.

All his resolution and soul were poured into the blade, allowing the knight to overcome a foe that was stronger than him.

Ramses saw all this and while he couldn't blame anyone except himself and his own arrogance, he refused to admit defeat. But in the next moment, Balmung's light consumed the entire room.

* * *

Tokiomi felt the castle tremble once again and wondered what could be happening outside. He began to walk away.

"Wait…" He heard Breno's voice.

He turned to look at the young man he had faced mere moments ago struggling to stand up, ignoring all the burns in his body. His blue coat had disappeared along with his tie, and the sleeves of his shirts were completely burned. No matter the perspective, Breno was fighting a lost battle.

Tokiomi sighed.

"Please stop this pathetic display."

"Shut up!" Breno yelled as he managed to stand up.

"Stop this. The only thing you will accomplish is tarnishing the reputation of your family even more."

At this Breno just laughed.

"Someone… Someone like you dares to talk to me about family?"

Tokiomi looked at him, not really understanding what he implied.

"What do you mean?"

"I know all about you, Tokiomi. You threw away one of your own into a foreign family!"

"So? I did it so my heir could develop her talents. Besides, after meeting that future version of my daughter I'm sure my decision was right."

"Future version?"

"I think she goes by the name of Kirsche."

Breno's eyes widened as he began to understand Tokiomi's words.

"Kirsche… is your daughter?"

"You know her? I see. You are one of my daughter's teammates. It's kind of a disappointment that she associated with someone as pathetic as you. Get out of my sight."

Once again a sphere made of fire flew towards Breno, but instead of burning him, the Spanish magus managed to catch it.

Breno wasn't a good man by any means. He was cruel and would do anything in order to achieve his objectives and he knew that. Maybe that was the reason he never got along with the Hellhound, but if there was something he valued above everything else was family, not only as a name but as an entity. He believed family was something that needed to stick together, explaining why his flames were his pride: the flames he had developed under the tutelage of his parents and which embodied all the knowledge they had acquired for generations.

He would do anything in order to keep his family safe and he knew the feeling was mutual between his parents, that they wanted him safe. They would never think about using him, his revenge was something he had decided by himself. He wanted to make the Roux girl pay, and not because anyone had ordered him to. The reason he wanted to kill her, even while the reason may have been stupid, was in order to erase the humiliation they had suffered, as they always stood in their way when the Da Rocha family tried to expand their influence throughout France.

So even when he was such a man, he couldn't forgive one who cast his family away for petty reasons like that.

"You…were right?!" he yelled as his rage continue to fuel his own flames.

"Of course I was. She reached the Root and she is a sorceress beyond even me. That's exactly what I seek for my daughter," the man said happily.

"Don't joke around!"

Tokiomi's eyes widened, not understanding how the man in front of him wasn't consumed by his fire. In truth, Breno didn't understand the reason he was so angry, he barely knew the young lady and he found her kind of annoying and hard to approach. He was still amazed about how the Hellhound had managed to secure her help, and it was just that he didn't want to admit that the man in front of him was right.

"That girl… I know she is powerful… but…" The sphere of fire began to compact. "It's not because of you! Whatever that girl became has nothing to do with you!"

In that moment he shot the sphere back to Tokiomi, who was too slow to react and yelled in pain as the fireball impacted him in the chest, leaving a big burn mark. The only reason he survived was that he had reinforced both his body and clothes.

"Damn… it…" Breno said as he fell into the ground.

Tokiomi, who had fallen to his knees, couldn't understand what just happened, since even if it was just for a moment, the young man had bested him. He took that thought out of his head immediately; Breno had gotten lucky. He'd dropped his guard too much and that was all, simple carelessness on his part.

He continued to repeat these lies in his head as he tried to forget the last words Breno had addressed to him. Trying not to consider the fact that the Spaniard might be right and he could be wrong, he realized the fact that he had just lost to the man lying across the floor in front of him.

This was really a humiliation for Tokiomi. It was one thing to lose against a better sorcerer like Kirsche, but to lose against Breno, who in his eyes was immature and let his emotions get the better of him, was something unthinkable.

"No… not yet," he said as he stood and began to walk to where Breno was lying.

Technically speaking Tokiomi hadn't lost; he had received a blow but could still fight while his opponent couldn't even move. But halfway the ceiling broke, stopping his advance and he saw the body of Darnic land on the ground in front of him.

Seconds later he saw Leo, whose right arm was covered in blood and had all the skin peeled and Kage whose limbs were no longer frozen descended and landed near Breno.

"Maybe now you know real pain," Leo said while looking at the broken body of the one who led the Yggdmillennia.

Darnic didn't answer as he coughed blood and groaned in pain. The old magus sure didn't expect this when he began his fight with the blond boy.

* * *

At the beginning it had started the same way as with Kage. Leo moved fast in order to dodge the ice shreds coming at him as he understood, after seeing what happened to Kage, that he couldn't let those things touch him.

Unlike Kage who could fight at long range with his guns, Leo could only fight with his fists, so he needed to get closer in order to fight him. Even when he could stretch his arm out he needed the correct distance for a proper blow.

So even with his great speed and agility it was obvious that the ice would eventually reach him. That was an unchangeable outcome and Darnic knew it.

What he didn't know was that Leo was counting on that. He dashed at the blue-haired magus knowing full well that the ice shards would come at him and that would give him a chance.

Shreds of ice surrounded him after his first step, and before he could take a second all of them flew at him at such speed from every angle that it would be impossible to dodge. He saw this and took the silver cross in his pocket with his left hand before the shreds impacted him.

Icy dust filled the room and Darnic allowed himself to relax, but that feeling lasted only a second as once again, just like the beginning of their fight, a fist came at him. By pure reflex he put his staff in front of his face to block.

The clash lasted less than a second and the arm retracted as the dust began to fade and revealed a pillar of ice with Leo standing at its side completely unscathed. To everybody else it would seem that Darnic had missed, but something like that was impossible.

"Damn! So close," Leo said, a little annoyed.

"You! Why are you still alive?!"

Leo just smirked.

"That's for you to find out."

Leo prepared to go at him once again but when he tried to raise his fist he felt it was heavier. He looked at it and realized that his hand was completely frozen.

"You believed that those shards were my only weapon."

Darnic spoke in a calm voice, as if that previous outburst had never happened.

Leo just glared at him before the ice began to expand on his arm. He tried to ignore it but suddenly he felt a sharp pain and noticed that small points of ice were piercing into the skin. It hurt so much it seemed like someone was ripping his arm out of the socket.

Seeing this, Darnic laughed. Vlad had moved to another room to continue his fight with the bowman, but he was so focused on his so-called opponent that he didn't realize a small fact that would cement his defeat: Balthasar wasn't in the spot where Vlad had left him to die. In its place was just a pool of blood.

"Tell me boy, is this all you've got?"

As the ice continued to expand across his arm Leo glared at the old magus.

"Tell me old man, why do you fight? Because I can't find a bit of sense in any of this."

Leo wasn't having doubts. His words were his real thoughts. To him the idea of a wish-granting device was something that couldn't bring any good. The moment Zelretch proved his thoughts right he wondered why no one ever realized how wrong the very concept was.

A wish, a real one, was something a person longed for to the point it became his goal in life. Of course it had to be hard to accomplish, even impossible in some cases but if there was something that could grant it easily then it completely lost its meaning because a wish achieved that way stopped being one and just a superficial need.

"I don't think you will understand, boy. My wish, the purpose of my fight is the same as any magus. To reach the Root."

In that moment anger began to rise inside of Leo. He wasn't the kind of person who let his emotions get the better of him, but the words of the man in front of him created infuriation.

"For something… like that…" he said in a whisper.

"What was that, boy?"

Leo didn't answer.

"What's wrong? Is the pain too much and you can't even speak?" Darnic said mockingly.

At this, much to Darnic's surprise, Leo laughed.

"Do you think this hurt?" he returned with a smirk.

He began to walk towards Darnic, who was too shocked to move, and he lifted his frozen arm and stretched it like before, breaking the ice but also tearing off his own skin. Blood spilled onto the floor as Darnic finally managed to react and raised an ice wall in front of him.

Leo's fist was stopped by the wall but Darnic didn't have time to relax as the impact left a huge crack in his only defense. But it didn't stop. The punches kept coming and slowly began to break the wall, but at the same time Leo's fists also damaged themselves.

Something like this didn't make any sense to a man like Darnic, to continue something like this to the point of enduring immense pain.

Darnic's life hadn't been easy at all, as when he was young many believed his clan wouldn't survive past the fifth generation, and all the support they used to have eventually disappeared. Friends who had sworn unbreakable friendship to him turned their backs and he was forced to save his clan from ruin.

Part of his sick nature was a product of that, his obsession with the Grail also nurtured by that. He wanted an easy, simpler way to enter the Root to regain the respect his clan had lost. All the humiliation he had been forced to endure while being in the Association, even when he used nourishment to overcome his problems, distorted his previous self.

While it was true he sought the Root, he didn't want it for the same reason as the other families. He wanted to reach it to make it a symbol of victory, to get back at those who made him suffer. In a way it could be said he wanted it for revenge and to gain a control over what he declared was rightfully his.

He became even more ruthless and cold, seeing things like trust and loyalty as irrational and realizing the only value others had depended on what they provided. So, he couldn't believe that all their enemies risked so much for a little girl. If that wasn't the case they could just kill her and that would be out of the way, but what Celenike said before Kage entered his chambers suggested that they wanted to save the healer.

And the worst was that it seemed his side was slowly losing. Leo continued to endure the pain as the bones in his hands began to crack and his skin peeled off. For some reason, after the moment Darnic asked him if he felt pain, an image came into his mind.

The first was the image of the kids crying after he told them the horrible news about their mother's fate. They had lost their home due to people like the one in front of him. They had been forced to experience such a traumatic event because others wanted a selfish wish granted.

"You ask if this hurt?!" Leo yelled as his punches became stronger and the ice wall broke.

Before Darnic could even breathe, Leo's fist smashed into his face and in the next moment more punches began to strike him all over.

"Do you realize how many things have been lost for that stupid wish you seek?!"

Once again ice surrounded Darnic, stopping Leo's attack.

"Stupid?! Someone like you could never understand!"

Suddenly ice spikes came up from where Leo was standing, impaling him through the abdomen.

Leo screamed in pain as his blood began to form a pool around him. Darnic believed this would be enough, but once more Leo began to move, breaking the spikes of ice that were piercing him with his bare hands and ran towards Darnic.

"You're right, I don't understand and I sure as hell don't want to!"

"How?! How can you move after all that?!"

"Someone like you wouldn't understand!" he yelled as he kneed Darnic in the gut before grabbing both sides of his head and finishing him with another knee to his chin.

Darnic fell to the floor.

"Compared to the pain those kids went through, this is nothing."

Leo breathed heavily as his wounds began to heal and he raised his fist for a last time.

"But I will be happy to teach you… Real pain, that is."

His fist began to glow just like during his fight with Achilles. The power was now almost halved since he had received a lot of wounds.The ground around him began to crack as Leo observe carefully his lying target.

"Sev…" The muscles in his arm began to tense up to the point some veins were visible the glow on his fist began to darken. Now taking a darker color.

His fist resemble now more a dark hole as little stones form the cracked floor began to levitate around him.

Normally Darnic would realize this was a dangerous attack but the last knee on his chin had left him disoriented not being able to react at all.

"…Dim Punch!" he yelled as his fist impact Darnic in the stomach.

The punch still had enough strength to destroy the cracked floor and send all present down to the lower levels. It was just a coincidence that they had been over the room in which Breno was fighting.

Tokiomi couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Their enemies were slowly defeating them. He began to think of a way to turn the tides once more. If his Servant, Gilgamesh, decided to enter the fight, no one in the sixth faction would be able to defeat him, at least not with both Edward and Kousuke in bad condition and Kirsche off the battlefield. But the ancient Hero had declared he wouldn't fight for the Black Faction.

The only thing that could bring the king into the fight was a Command Seal, but the repercussions of making him do something against his will spelled disaster.

Leo allow himself to relax a little after seeing the other man who was most probably on Darnic's side go still. He turned and realized Breno was lying near where he had landed. The debris from the ceiling had barely missed his spot.

"Really? What's with all of you being defeated?" Leo asked with a tired grin.

Kage just glared at him, but before he could say anything back, the crimson sphere he had received from Edward popped up next to him. Weird, he had almost forgotten about it.

"I got Atosaki!" Tamamo's voice was heard through it.

The two Masters, besides Breno who was still unconscious, began to wonder what they were supposed to do. From the beginning the plan was to defeat the Black Faction and rescue Atosaki. Another concern was that Tamamo spoke out of the ghost fire, not its real owner.

"I will search for Archer and your Assassin, Kage. You take this guy back since he can't fight anymore."

Kage nodded.

Leo began to walk away. He had already won. Even if the old man survived he wouldn't be able to fight for long. He waited a few seconds until the hole in his stomach began to close. It was a good thing it wasn't so big. He turned to view the two defeated men before he and his teammates left the room.

* * *

Meanwhile in the hallways of the castle the sound of spears clashing could be heard as Tamamo continued to run while carrying Atosaki. It was a good thing Edward had left a ghost fire with her before continuing his fight with her Master.

But after that big explosion she saw in the mirror she wasn't able to get receive any communication from him. The ghost fire still remained so she wanted to believe both of them were fine.

Tamamo was really worried about her master so she ended up taking control of Edward's familiar, an easy task for someone like her.

All her efforts to reach him had been useless. She decided to leave the castle and seek her Master. After all, Kousuke's main goal was to rescue the girl. Beating the other faction was something that came as a bonus.

But there was a problem she hadn't paid too much attention. Getting into the basement, she just plowed through the floor under her until she arrived. So, return was somewhat difficult. It was a good thing that most of the homunculi had been deployed to stop Kirsche. She didn't have to worry about encountering more enemies.

At the same time the two spearmen continued their fight along the way, one with the purpose of stopping their escape while the other's was to protect them.

At this rate they would be able to leave the castle without problems, but as they ran on, one of the walls on the left completely broke down. Odysseus came out from it as he crashed into the other side.

Tamamo stopped. She saw the being previously known as Vlad Tepes emerge from the broken wall and stand in her way.

The Count acknowledged her presence and gave her a vicious smile.

"Do you really think I would let you leave so easily?"

* * *

Well the battles all over the palace ending and the final fight between the the two sides begin. Sorry for the delay in chaps but working and writting is kind of hard. Still Please review and i welcome any critics.


	26. Chapter 25 Revelations

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 25: Revelation

While the battle in the castle continued, in another part of the city two figures fought while being sheltered by the night. They didn't look at each face even once yet at the same time both of them knew where their target was as they continue to shoot projectiles to each other and destroying everything around them.

"This is exactly why I don't like facing opponents head on… Such an annoying task," Robin Hood said with a smirk as he hid behind what remained of a building wall.

He was covered in dust and his green clothes were a little ragged.

Still, truth to be told he was in a very bad situation, he was running out of places to hide. Emiya stood on the top of a medium sized building, his body covered in small cuts. The two bowmen were pretty even, as both of them had yet to deal a real blow on the other. Because even when they had hurt each other, none of their arrows had hit their target.

Even when his arrows had more power, Emiya shooting Broken Phantasms, he lacked any real way to find his opponent. Even while Robin Hood was an Archer his legend as a hero who lived in the shadows gave him such great presence concealment that it could match an Assassin-class Servant. Still the sharp reflexes he had developed through his life as warrior barely allowed him to dodge the accurate shots of his opponent.

The moment Emiya received a shot in return he instinctively knew the position whence it came and shot back, but Robin wasn't there anymore and that last shot revealed his own position, giving the green bowman an opportunity. Realizing how futile it was to try to locate the green-clad Servant Emiya took a different and simpler approach. He just began to destroy all the places where his opponent could hide while using the explosion of his arrows to block any escape routes.

His plan had a flaw though: he couldn't move too much as before in order to gauge the power of his arrows, so he couldn't use the smoke and the destruction to escape. This way it seemed more like he was getting tired, making Robin realize his plan too late.

The green Archer saw what he had been doing the moment he dodged the last attack and found out he didn't have another place to move.

By this point Emiya was breathing heavily, the poison beginning to affect him due to the many wounds the arrows had inflicted upon him.

"I am the bone of my sword," he chanted, preparing himself for his final attack.

But the moment he got another arrow ready he felt a great tremor as a gigantic tree began to emerge. But it wasn't just a tree—a whole forest began to appear, replacing the entire area.

"What the...?"

He couldn't hide his surprise and his cold façade was broken for a mere second. But in that second he missed the shadow that crawled behind him. He realized his mistake when a kick impacted his left side and sent him to crashing into the forest.

Robin wasn't stupid to believe that he could take him head on, so he did what he always did. He took the fight to a place where he could.

Cowardly? Perhaps, but also a very intelligent way to deal with a far stronger opponent, because no matter how one might want to picture a battle, they fought however they liked against each other. Ideals did not matter on the battlefield. A very sad truth was that history got written by the winners, good or bad. So to use traps and any means no matter how evil was completely normal.

Fairness had no place in a battle of survival, because defeat equaled death. That was a line of logic which had been engraved in the minds of both Archers. Both of them had seen many battles, and they never fought for themselves, but to protect others they killed many opponents and tainted their hands with blood.

Destiny liked to act in very strange ways, forcing two people too similar to each other find themselves face to face.

Both had dreamed of becoming a hero, but on their paths that wish had been denied, and both had turned against their ideals. One became a thief and the other was a mere warrior who couldn't save anyone.

Both lived using borrowed names and ideals. The man Emiya was fighting wasn't the real Robin Hood, since the "hero" himself never existed. The legend of Robin Hood was created by those who took on the name in order to fight against the tyranny of the king who governed their land. The Archer of White was in truth but one of the many.

Emiya couldn't be considered any different, as the way he lived until this point, making a contract with the World and becoming a Counter Guardian, had been defined by the ideal of the person who saved him, to be a hero of justice.

"Now prepare to feel the true terror of Sherwood Forest!" Emiya heard a voice yell in the middle of that land governed by shadows.

Emiya replaced his bow with his twin blades as he got ready for the attack of the green Servant.

"No one can escape from this forest." A voice resounded from behind him.

In the next moment an arrow came aiming at his head from the left side. Emiya barely managed to block it in time.

"I see, using your voice to disorient me and attacking from a different spot!"

"Very good," the green Archer said mockingly. "It seems you are quite smart."

In the next moment Emiya felt a sharp pain in his back and the moment he turned he saw Robin smiling as he thrust his dagger deeper into his skin.

"But you need to be more cautious."

Ten blades came from the ground with the only purpose to impale Robin, but by the time they ascended the Archer wasn't there anymore.

"Don't make this too easy."

Steel is my body and fire is my blood.

I have created over a thousand blades,

Swords began to appear around him and shot in many directions, trying to clear the area. The swords found their targets and for a moment they destroyed the surrounding trees, but it was only lasted for a second since in the next the trees began to grow back again at amazing speed.

Emiya decided to try this again but while he prepared the next barrage, an arrow pierced through his left shoulder, leaving a small hole to render the arm useless.

Unknown to Death, nor know to Life.

More arrows began to come at him as he moved through the forest at great speed while dodging and parrying them with his good arm.

Emiya continued to run through the forest and tried to stall until the wound in his shoulder healed. But as he continued to run he didn't notice the rope that had tangled around his leg until it pulled on him and sent him crashing into one of many trees. Normally he would have noticed such a trap but, being too focused on any possible attack from the bowman, he was distracted.

Just after crashed down, a large pointed log flew at him. Instantly he traced Kanshou and threw it toward the rope around his leg, freeing him mere seconds before the log impaled the tree.

He rolled onto the ground, huffing.

"You still don't understand, do you?" Robin spoke from the shadows. "No matter what you do you can't win!"

To his surprise, Emiya just smiled.

"Certainly… While we remain here I can't win…" Emiya began to stand. "But then again I just need to change the field."

Have withstood pain to create many weapons,

Yet these hands will never hold anything.

So as I pray…

A circle of fire without heat appeared around him and began to expand as if forming a bounded field. Robin Hood didn't understood what was happening until it was too late. Everything seemed the same up to the moment he looked at the sky and saw it turned opaque by a thick haze formed from embers and wisps of black smoke.

The green bowman, who was hiding on one of the branches of a forest tree, found himself unable believe what he was seeing. Then he felt the ground shake as from below many blades began to sprout from the ground. He rapidly climbed to the top of the tree to get a better view but the moment he did he saw a horizon full of gears and an infinite hill of swords that extended far past his forest.

This was the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit that Shirou Emiya had become in one of the many worlds. A world that represented the inner world of a man who had been betrayed by everything he believed in, including his ideals, and the only thing he had left at the moment of death. The world that responded to the name…

"Unlimited Blade Works," Emiya declared as he drew one of many blades around him and raised it.

Robin found himself unable to react in any way when he saw the crimson sky covered by thousands of blades.

"This is no longer your forest," Emiya said as he lowered the blade in his hand and the rest in the sky began to follow with their only aim being the destruction of the forest and the user. As the blades began to come closer Robin Hood saw how everything began to be covered by the shadows of the blades. That was the last thing he saw.

* * *

Shinji smashed his head on his desk for the third time in the last hour. He looked at the screen of his laptop before sighing in exasperation.

"How are you doing, kid?" Rider of White appeared behind him, making him jump in surprise and fall from his chair.

Rider expected an outburst of rage like always but to her surprise he didn't yell at all, even when he seemed like he wanted to, surprising her.

"Hey, don't make any noise," a voice said almost in a whisper. "You'll wake up Alice."

Rider turned toward the sound of the voice and saw a girl with a black Victorian dress sitting on the bed while at her side an exact copy of her wearing white and blue pajamas was lying there fast asleep. The pink-haired Servant raised an eyebrow as she looked at her Master, silently asking for an explanation.

"I don't want to know what's going through your head but I will say that you are wrong," Shinji said with a low voice.

The pirate didn't answer and suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the room. Once out and after she made sure the door was closed she tossed him into the hallway wall.

"Hey! What the hell…?!" Shinji asked after he collided with the wall.

Rider just looked at him before kneeling in front of him to inspect his face.

"When was the last time you slept, kid?" she asked with worry when she saw the dark bags under his eyes.

Shinji didn't answer. Rider cursed under her breath. Sometimes she wondered if her Master was really a kid, after all he barely acted like one. Sure he had his temperament and he tended to cry when something didn't go his way but still, he was rather serious for a child.

She began to think that maybe all those assignments Leo had been leaving him were a little too much. No matter how she saw it the poor boy was reaching his limit so she did something that was completely unlike her. She decided to actually care.

"You alright?" Rider tried to sound concerned and not so bossy like she usually sounded.

"Yeah…" he answered after a few moments. "I just… lost track of time."

Rider wanted to yell at him for being such at a bad liar and for trying to lie to a person like her but decided against it.

"You need to sleep, kid," she stated.

Shinji sighed in annoyance.

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm so close to finishing what that guy asked me to!" Shinji yelled as he collected himself, beginning to grumble. "That idiot saying I can't do it… as if he didn't know who I am."

Rider saw this and just sighed, feeling stupid for even worrying and cursing both her Master and Leonardo B. Harwey, the former for being so arrogant that it made him easy to manipulate and the latter, even though part of her admired how he was able to use others for his benefits, for taking advantage of a kid like Shinji. Sure she had done worst things but, while she wouldn't really mind either way, having a tired Master could mean her death.

She put her hand on his head while a grin appeared on her face.

"Well I must admit you aren't so pathetic, kid. You got something right; if it's easy it ain't worth it. You gotta fight for everything that deserves to be possessed. In that aspect I commend your efforts," she said.

Shinji was surprised by her words, and then cheeks puffed with pride.

"So you finally recognize my…" He didn't get to finish.

In t next second she smacked him on the head, making the poor kid cry in pain.

"But really, working 'til you're half-dead is just plain stupid. Now go to bed," she ordered, ignoring how much she sounded like a big sister.

Shinji looked at her with watery eyes before speaking.

"That girl is in my bed."

"So? Don't talk as a man, kid." Rider said really annoyed.

Shinji didn't understand what she was talking about, since he meant there wasn't enough space for him to sleep.

"What did that blond kid ask you to do anyway?" Rider asked as her Master began to open the door.

"What? Well…" He didn't finish as a scream was heard inside his room.

* * *

Back at the wasteland near the castle of the Black Faction, Nero continued to move at great speed searching for her Master. Suddenly she stopped as she felt a deep pain in her head, as if it was about to explode.

The migraines that she suffered in life would usually come back from time to time. Once they began they would come and go for a while. Normally it was impossible to know what triggered them but in this situation she did. Seeing him like that, as if he were dead in a pool of his own blood made her remember.

The image came to her head as if she were living it all over again, the blood of her Master on her hands and dress, her blade buried in his chest. Tears fell, Nero disbelieving what she had done.

Even when it was something she sought to forget with every fiber of her being, that moment kept coming to her mind, so shameful: the only time she ever raised her sword against him, the only time she ever betrayed him and the first time she ever believed she was indeed evil.

"Dammit!" Nero yelled to herself. "Why now?! He forgave me…"

But his forgiveness was what hurt her the most. As she continued to endure the pain of her headache she saw a golden light a couple of meters in front of her, a light she recognized very well. She tried to forget the pain and hurried toward her Master, praying that she might get there in time.

* * *

Edward, who had almost gone back to normal except for his arm, still in its claw form, rolled as he fought to remain conscious. The timing for this person to appear in front of him couldn't be worse.

"Pleiades…" he said, coughing blood.

The Valkyrie stood in front of him with a murderous gaze. After speaking with Shirou Kotomine she had decided to take matters into her own hands. She no longer cared about Antares' punishment, after all if she moved fast enough he would never know. At the beginning she didn't plan to do this, at least not directly, planning on pushing Shirou to move and eliminate the two factions who would be too tired to fight back.

But the priest didn't act as she expected. He believed it wasn't quite the time to move, groups would be watching, and he wanted to keep up his charade of having only one Servant.

"I'm really curious, Hellhound," she said as she walked up to him and lifted him by his neck. "Why don't you just die?!"

Her grip tightened.

"You… have been … thinking … about me?" He tried to laugh. "How… sweet."

The only answer he get was being thrown to one side. The moment he landed he could feel the burning rocks of the scorching ground entering and burning his open wound.

Pleiades was driven by pure hate. He had wounded her and that was humiliating, but there was something else, something even the Counter Guardian ignored that fed her hate toward the man in front of her.

She knew she had to finish him fast, though she wanted him to suffer more. One of her beams should suffice to end that man, but instead she stood there and looked at him, trying to enjoy his suffering. Only, like in their last encounter the Hellhound stood again, even in such circumstances.

Her eyes widened for a second, but she didn't mind him. She knew he wouldn't be able to do anything in his condition. Yet, once again he proved her wrong when a gigantic spectral hand came at her ready, ready to smash down.

She stopped the gigantic hand with one finger before it broke in front of her. She couldn't believe it, that this person here could remain standing, barely. Blood flowed continuously from his open wounds and it seemed more like a miracle that he was still breathing.

Rage continued to fill her being, along with another sentiment: confusion. She had learn to see humans as a pathetic and self-destructive race that didn't deserve the world they lived in. Even while in the past she was also human she didn't feel any pity, and she expected nothing from them, unlike Situla. The reason was simple, while being alive she had been forsaken by humanity and betrayed by the people she used to believe was family. Rejected by everyone and everything, fated to die and rot, the only one who heard her pleas and her will to live was the World.

She was well aware she was only a pawn for Alaya but she didn't care. While serving Alaya she observe the twisted nature of humans and saw that what had happened to her was something rather common, people being used and dying as if disposable in order for others' to fulfill their ambitions.

Watching this over and over again she reached a conclusion.

'Humans don't deserve to live.'

Yet there was something different in the young man before her.

"Why?!" she yelled, unable to hide her frustration. "Why do you keep getting up?!"

Edward didn't answer right away, barely able to understand the words the woman spoke.

"I… I … can't die… this… life … is … no longer… mine."

Their eyes met, he was telling the truth. Even in such a desperate situation Edward hadn't given up life, he still sought a way to survive yet.

"Stop speaking nonsense!" she yelled. "Nonsense like what he used…"

In that moment she understood the real reason for her hate. His eyes, the way he continued to stand up, he reminded her of a person she knew a long time ago, a person she used to love before he changed and decided to abandon her and everyone else in order to chase his ideals.

She shook her head. She didn't want to see those eyes anymore. She didn't want him to exist anymore. Pleiades rushed at him, ready to end his life as a golden trident appeared in her left hand. Edward just saw a golden light coming at him, too tired to react in time.

Yet before it could reach its target a crimson blade stood in the way, and Nero suddenly appeared.

Still Pleiades was stronger so she easily pushed her back. Still the crimson emperor had managed to save the life of her Master for the moment.

"Don't stand in my way, Servant!" Pleiades roared.

Nero didn't seem to pay her much attention, more focused on her Master. The image she tried to forget came back to haunt her, but she tried to bury it in her mind as she held him in her arms.

"Don't worry. Leave the rest to me," she said softly, caressing the back of his head.

"Nero…" he said as he turned completely back to normal.

Sticking her sword next to her, Nero ripped off the left sleeve of her dress and put it across her Master's stomach wound.

She made sure it could at least help as a bandage before grabbing her blade and turning toward Pleiades.

"I will kill you, witch," she said with a deadly seriousness.

Pleiades just glared at her.

"Then I guess you will die first, Whore of Babylon," Pleiades spat.

* * *

Inside of the castle Roche continued to wander through the many broken corridors, unsure about what to do. The boy's will had been completely crushed along with any hopes he could ever have. She had been too strong.

The ultimate golem, a being his master had used all his knowledge to create embodied his dream, his wish to be able to create life and replicate the same feat as God. Since the beginning Adam was meant to die because in Solomon's eyes he was alive, and everything that was alive eventually died.

But Roche believed that it was wrong for its end to come at Kirsche's hands, because her wielding a godlike power to erase Adam was more like God denying the miracle Roche saw Adam as, pointing it out like a mistake.

Still, seeing the power of creation firsthand was something that had left a big scar in both his mind and soul. He went on without caring about his destination. The boy was broken. The greatest work Roche had ever seen had been destroyed by a girl when even a godlike Servant couldn't even touch it.

Power beyond his understanding filled his entire being with fear, there was no hope anymore. Their group couldn't win as long as that girl existed. There was no one who could stop her, so to continue fighting was pointless.

Without knowing it he arrived at the room where Siegfried and Ramses had been fighting. Roche found the former lying on the floor, completely exhausted. The boy began to walk up to him, not really understanding the reason.

Siegfried realized his presence and turn to see the little kid. He recognized him as one of the members of the group to which his Master belonged.

His eyes widened, realizing how dead the eyes of the boy in front of him were. He didn't want any more regrets. He didn't even know why but he extended his bloody hand toward the boy, he wanted to help him as even after all this time he couldn't get rid of his selfless nature and he wouldn't be able to. No matter how twisted his way to live was and how much his life could be improved, that selflessness was what made him a hero and allowed him to help others.

The kid didn't move till the silver knight hand reach his and looked at the lying knight.

"Are you alright?" Siegfried asked.

Roche just looked at him with those blank eyes and that was the only answer Siegfried needed. He had felt it before his fight with the Pharaoh; his Master had been killed, and he could feel himself disappearing but none of that mattered, since in that moment he wanted to help the boy in front of him.

He stood up and put his other hand over the boy's head.

"Everything will be alright."

* * *

Ramses woke up with a rapier pointed at his throat and saw Astolfo in front of him. The Pharaoh had barely survived the last attack from Siegfried, using the sphinx as a shield, but he had been sent flying outside of the castle, his body full of burns.

"You know…" Astolfo said while looking at him, "it would be easy to end you. Just one thrust."

Ramses just looked back at him.

"You… expect me to beg… peon?"

Astolfo laughed dryly.

"Of course not. A king never begs. I just want you to answer a question."

Ramses didn't object so Astolfo continued.

"All of you came to rescue that girl?"

This time it was Ramses' turn to laugh.

"I couldn't care less for the life of a peon," he said while laughing. "I came to exact revenge on that bastard."

"Is it the same for everyone in your group?"

"I don't know. Everybody has their own reasons to fight. But I can say that the peon who summoned me cares about her, along with many others. "

Astolfo slowly put away his blade before turning back.

"I owe that girl a favor. By letting you live I have paid my debt. Let's meet again in the battlefield, Pharaoh."

And after saying that the Paladin went back to the castle to search for Siegfried. Ramses saw him walk away but this time he didn't care, he was too tired to care.

"You … should have killed me when you had the chance, Dragon-Slayer," he said in a whisper.

Astolfo overheard but decided to ignore him, and then he saw a black torrent of energy coming from another part of the castle, recognizing it as the power the Lancer of his faction possessed. But his part in the fight was over. Whether the other group survived or not would depend entirely on them.

"Good luck," he said before turning back into spirit form.

* * *

Back inside the castle Tamamo found herself cornered as Vlad stood in front of her with a smile. The next moment and shadows had come at her at such amazing speed that they destroyed another portion of the castle.

She was sent flying along with Atosaki and the moment they landed she lost hold of her. Tamamo rapidly stood up and tried to regain the girl.

Such a pain, she thought, but as she went to retrieve Atosaki she saw mercury whips wrap around the girl and pull her away.

"Wait!"

But she didn't have time to worry about the girl. Vlad came at her with his black spear in hand, ready to impale her. Once again Tamamo's mirror stopped the attack, but just for a second, slowed enough for her to grab the tip of the black spear with her bare hands, surprising Vlad.

"What?!"

A blue aura began to surround Tamamo.

"How dare you!" she yelled. "How you dare interfere with the search for my Master! Unforgivable!"

The darkness that surrounded the spear began to condense around her hands as she let the spear go and moved toward Vlad so she could press the black sphere on his very chest.

"Reikō Kyōhan Shō!" she yelled as the Count was sent flying from the sheer energy.

She rapidly turn towards Atosaki who was being dragged to the others side of the hallway. Atosaki tried to resist but she was still too weak because of her imprisonment and she saw Kayneth waiting for her. Lance rushed to where she was but a golden spear stood in his way.

"I cannot let you stand in the way of my lord," Diarmuid declared as he swung his twin spears to continue their fight.

Lance tried to force his way but Diarmuid seemed like an impenetrable wall. He just roared in frustration as the three spears meet each other.

Tamamo was about to go after her when a wall made of shadows blocked her path.

"You don't know when to give up do you?" she said, not turning back since she knew who was there.

"I will make sure to enjoy your screams of pain as I rip our your beating heart and drink your blood!"

"Ewww. I never expected the legends about you being creepy would be so true."

She joked now, but she needed to move fast. If that girl was captured again or killed, all the efforts of her Master would be vain and that was something Tamamo would never allow. Yet still she was surrounded by that circle of darkness.

"Say what you want. I have already defeated the Assassin and the Archer of your group. You are wounded, little fox, so tell me, what hope do you have?"

"Reikōgyoku!" was the only answer he received, and a sphere made of prana exploded on the left side of his face.

Vlad just laughed like a maniac as his body turned into mist.

On the other side of the wall Atosaki was almost on Kayneth's grasp, the reason the man clad in blue had being to use her as a negotiation chip.

"S…Sowilo!" Atosaki yelled as she drew an S with her index finger in attempt to escape the grip of Volumen Hydrargyrum.

A sphere of fire was shot toward Kayneth, but it was a futile attempt. His Mystic Code reacted and protect its master.

"Does the mouse really want to fight against the cat?" Kayneth asked, amused.

But just as he finished talking, a black torrent of flames come at him. The sphere of mercury became a dome around its master in order to protect him. Kayneth saw a silver wolf run directly at him through the defense of his Mystic Code.

"Such bad taste in familiars." Kayneth sighed out his disappointment.

Whips came at the silver wolf and even when at the beginning the wolf seemed capable of dodging, it was eventually cut down. Strangely enough, instead of being destroyed it turned back into a black jewel, landing in front of Kayneth.

This seemed like something interesting so he couldn't help but grab it to have a better look. He began to examine the jewel with such eagerness that he didn't notice Kousuke was behind him. Normally nothing would have saved him in a situation like that, but Volumen Hydrargyrum moved on its own after feeling the presence of an enemy.

"Kunrinsha yo! Chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo! Shōnetsu to sōran, umihedate sakamaki minami e to ho o susume yo!" He casted as he saw the sphere of mercury react to his presence. "Hadō: Shakkahō"

His right hand began to emit a crimson glow as a fire ball was fired and impacted Volumen Hydrargyrum. Just like he expected his last attack didn't do anything, but if what Breno had told him was true then he needed to strike fast.

Instead of attacking the magi he swung his blade a couple of times and freed Atosaki.

"Yagami-san!" she said happily, seeing he was alright.

"Hey," he greeted. "You alright?"

Atosaki nodded but then she realized something.

"What about Edward-san?"

Kousuke didn't answer right away but turned to face Kayneth as the smoke created by his hado began to dissipate.

"He said he would catch up later."

Atosaki wanted to ask more but someone interrupted her.

"Goshujin-Sama!" Tamamo yelled, overjoyed, as she broke the black circle around her to run and hug her master. "I'm so glad you are alright!"

"Glad to see you're fine, Caster." he said with a smile. He would normally try to struggle but after all that had happened she deserved this much. But his smile quickly faded after seeing all the cuts she had over her body.

Tamamo realized it and just continued to hug him.

"Don't sweat the little stuff, Master."

Suddenly she pushed him away as Vlad emerged from a shadow in the floor and grabbed by the neck taking her into the sky, his earlier attack having destroyed the wall and roof of the hallway.

Before Kousuke could even shout out his instincts kicked in and he turned to parry the attack of a spike of Volumen Hydrargyrum.

"It seem the rats continue to come."

Kousuke looked at Kayneth and after blocking an attack from his Mystic Code he realized it wouldn't be easy. He was still weak from his fight against the Hellhound. The only reason he could still move was because the help the Hellhound gave him and the ether pills he had taken on his way there.

He turned a little towards Atosaki and pointed his index finger at her.

"Bakudo: Tozanshō."

Before Atosaki could even ask what he was doing blue arrows came from the floor and began to move, creating a blue rectangular barrier around her.

"Sorry, but I can't fight while protecting you. Not in the state I am."

Kayneth didn't bother to try a surprise attack. Even after his defeat he hadn't lose his arrogance.

"Are you ready, filthy trash?"

"Kyoka no magan." That was the only thing Kousuke said as his eyes changed.

"Not worried about that fox? I guess you aren't so naïve."

"It's not that. I know her, she won't lose," he said with a smirk.

On Tamamo's end she saw Vlad spread leathery bat wings and his aspect began to resemble one as well. Finally Vlad stopped and looked at her with a mocking grin.

"Tell me, fox. Do you think smashing you from here would be enough to kill you?"

Tamamo mumbled something.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

Tamamo opened her mouth to talk but in the next instant two axes cut Vlad's wings, and he lost his balance and let her go. Before they fell, Vlad looked to the ground and saw Odysseus lying outside the castle, bow in hand and a grin on his face.

"You! You were still alive?!"

"By the way…" Vlad turned after hearing Tamamo's voice. "… I said, behind you."

Tamamo dove at him as she ripped the left sleeve of her kimono. Vlad's eyes widened as he heard her mumble some words while the two continued to fall.

"Jaō…"

The air around her left arm began to grow hotter and for some reason whatever remained of Vlad reasoning told him to get out there.

"Ensatsu..."

At the second word, a blazing blackish-orange hue surrounded her left arm. The heat coming from it was almost palpable and as the power condensed more and more Vlad saw three more tail appeared behind her.

"…Rengoku Shō!"

She yelled as her fist impacted him along with a wave of pure and destructive fire that lit the sky and created a path from the point Vlad received the attack to where he crashed.

Tamamo and Odysseus saw this and sighed in relief, the latter completely exhausted. He hated to admit that fighting Vlad had been a little more than what he was capable of, and just surviving was an admirable feat.

"For such a cute lady… she is quite scary," he said before collapsing.

Tamamo used the impact of her last attack to reduce the speed of her fall and began to prepare her landing. Suddenly from his crafter Vlad rose with a huge hole in his stomach and a maniac's grin on his face. The last of his sanity had been lost; he had been in that form too long, but he was reaching his limit. Too much damage had been inflicted on his person but that very state of madness was what made him so dangerous.

Friend or foe, it didn't matter to him anymore. The only thing he wanted was to satisfy his thirst of blood. In the next second many blades like shadows rose from the sky, the hole in his stomach closed completely, and surrounded Tamamo, who was too slow to react.

An explosion filled the air and from the smoke Tamamo fell near Vlad.

"Caster!" Kousuke yelled, unable to hide his worry as he blocked another one of Kayneth's attacks.

"Come on, come on! You can't give yourself the luxury of getting distracted," Kayneth said, a smile worn on his face whilst he failed an attack on purpose and simply gave Kousuke shallow cuts to toy with him.

Tamamo breathed heavily. She tried to stand up when saw Vlad coming at her, her left arm still hurt from her last spell and those blades having caused substantial damage. She could try to use her Noble Phantasm but something told her she wouldn't make it in time.

Vlad continued to get closer to her with his wicked smile, ready to make all his previous threats come true, but when he was one step away, a solid shadow pierced through his chest. The count didn't feel any pain since was a being made of darkness and a little more couldn't hurt him.

"Say your prayers, monster," he heard a voice say.

He spotted Balthasar lying on what remained of the wall at his right side, using his remaining arm to keep his balance. Vlad didn't understood what the Assassin was talking about until he felt a deep pain in his chest and then he saw it, a cross shining in his chest. The cross itself wasn't anything particularly special, just something Balthasar had received from a Father before going to his last mission. He had infused it with what remained of his King Killer and used shadows to leave it inside of Vlad.

One could not defeat darkness with darkness, for they only combined and grew stronger , but by this very principle he managed to wound the Count in a sore spot. Vlad continue to yell in pain, trying to rip the flesh of his chest to take out the cross. He could feel his insides burn with every passing second. Had some of his sanity remained he would have turned into mist and break free of the pain but in this moment when he followed his most primal instincts reigned over him, making him stop his transformation and turn back into Vlad Tepes.

As he returned to normal the pain began to subside as he was no longer an Ancestor, now a mere Servant. He began to cough blood from the cross that had been in his chest. This gave Tamamo a chance. She stood up and put her hands together as a magic circle appeared under her and created a wind barrier around her and Vlad, turning the space into a vacuum.

"Shōha Tenkūsen!" she yelled as the wind of the barrier began to concentrate in front of her before creating an implosion which also impacted Vlad.

The count was sent flying into the sky. While Tamamo didn't know if the last attack had killed him or not, she was too tired, falling to her knees.

Balthasar walked up to her and picked up his cross. Tamamo, who had barely talked with him before, saw him smile at his memento as if he were saying goodbye to it.

"Hey Servant Caster… can I ask you a favor?" he asked.

Tamamo didn't know what to say so she just nodded.

"Could you give this to my Master?" he said, showing her his cross.

"What? Why don't y..."

She didn't finish as she saw Balthasar was disappearing.

"You…"

"That kid is quite similar to me… But the further a man digs himself into darkness the more he needs something to give him light."

Tamamo looked at him firmly as she took the cross from his hands.

"My name is Balthasar Gerard, my lady. It was a pleasure fighting with all of you."

Those were the last words Balthasar said before disappearing. He didn't have any regrets. He lived as a nameless Assassin and died like one too. He had no wish of his own, as he believed he had achieved what he needed to do.

But this time someone remained who would remember his name for a while longer. The Assassin had saved her and for that she was thankful, so she would fulfill the wish of the Assassin.

"Goodbye Balthasar," she said to what remained of the dust the Assassin had become. "I barely knew you but you weren't so bad."

Kayneth on his part couldn't believe it, Vlad had been defeated. The shock was so great that he stopped his attack. Kousuke smiled to himself once he saw Tamamo was fine.

"No more distractions," he said in a whisper.

* * *

On the outskirts of the castle, Pleiades, who had cooled down a little, continued to block all of Nero's strikes.

"Tell me, Servant," she said with no emotion as her trident clashed with Nero's crimson blade. "Why protect that man? In the end he will just betray you."

Nero didn't want to listen to her anymore. Between this pointless talk and her headache she was reaching her limit.

"Don't speak as if you knew my Praetor! He will never betray me!" she yelled, furious. "And even if he did we will then be even."

She said the last part in a whisper.

Pleiades just sighed in irritation before she moved at the speed of light, passing Nero and aiming her trident at the Hellhound now on his knees.

He saw her coming but he wouldn't be able to move in time. He had used too much power against Kousuke.

"Move your head to the right." He heard a voice he recognized say and did as directed.

The very instant he tilted his head a hammer wrapped in lighting passed his left cheek and impacted Pleiades straight in the face.

The power behind the hammer was such that it sent her rolling across the ground, groaning in pain.

"Really, you two are quite the useless pair," Kirsche said, appearing from a portal as Thor descended to her side.

"In this situation I'm almost happy to see you. Almost," Edward joked.

"You really lack manners Hellhound. Is this how you thank your savior?"

He looked at her for a second before he sighed

"Thanks, Kirsche," he said in all honesty.

Before the noblewoman could answer she saw Pleiades standing up with her left hand covering her face.

"You bitch! Are you part of his group?!"

Kirsche laughed at her words.

"I think you misunderstand, servant of the World. I couldn't care less about this man's life," she said with a smile. "But he me owes a favor and 'til he pays his debt I can't let you kill him just yet."

Pleiades kept glaring at her.-

"And besides I really hate your kind," Kirsche went on as her voice turned cold as ice, her eyes dead serious.

Pleiades removed her hand from her face as pieces of what seemed to be a mask began to fall to the ground. Pleiades wasn't her real name; none of the Counter Guardians in this war called themselves by their real names, some because they had forgotten and others because they wanted to forget.

In both cases they created masks, a costume to hide their real selves. As Pleiades' outer façade continue to fall and reveal her real face, she assumed none of them would recognize her. She prepared to continue her fight.

But she never expected the look of shock on the faces of both Masters. The reason was that they never thought she would become a Counter Guardian. They knew the real her and it was near inconceivable to imagine she had become something like that. No, wrong, it was that neither of them wanted to believe such a world existed where she had been pushed to such a breaking point that she would choose this.

Because she was one of the few left out there they didn't want to fight if they could help it.

"I…Ilya?" Kirsche said in a whisper as she saw the face of her older sister on Pleiades.

* * *

Masters Remaining: 36

Servant Remaining: 36

* * *

Alright another done really to work and write is kind of hard still thanks to the other authors like always and my Editor. They really help me out in crisis. The fight would end in the next chapter and i don't know if put funny specials before the next arc. Please Review.


	27. Chapter 26 Dress of Heaven

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Cattleya Velvet - Magister Fay.

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 26: Dress of Heaven

This was a scene from the past and in a complete different reality. To any observer it couldn't mean much, but for the two girls who'd lived this moment, it was an irreplaceable memory that they wouldn't trade for anything.

Because the meeting brought these two girls salvation.

One was saved from her loneliness, the other saved from losing what remained of her humanity.

It was the first time the two of them met. Ilya blinked a few times as her grandfather arrived at her quarters, accompanied by a servant and a black-haired girl.

"This is your sister, Kirsche von Einzbern," Jubstacheit limited himself to saying. "She will be your responsibility, Ilya, and the same goes for her in time. There will be no training for either of you in the near future, the better for you to learn about each other. This is of great importance, as you will both be going to Japan when the time comes."

Illyasviel blinked again at the reminder of the Heaven's Feel, and after giving her a cool smile and a pat on the head, Jubstacheit and the servant left her alone with her new sister.

"Well…" Ilya began hesitantly while looking the girl over. She didn't look like an Einzbern, but she felt different. "…I suppose we should get along. Grandfather did say we are sisters, even if we don't look alike. My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, but you can just call me Ilya."

Kirsche blinked and bowed in response to Illyasviel.

"Hello…" she said tonelessly "…I… I'm Kirsche von Einzbern."

"What's with that reaction?" she asked irritably, scowling. "Aren't you supposed to smile or something when introducing yourself?"

Kirsche flinched and Ilya's eyes widened in surprise.

"I… I… I'm sorry," the girl stammered out. "…but… I… I don't know how to smile anymore."

Ilya didn't say anything and merely settled for reaching out with both hands and feeling her sister face. She stared at Kirsche's lifeless blue eyes, and slowly nodded.

"I see," she said softly "You're just like me, aren't you? You were… thrown away … left behind… just like Papa and Mama left me behind."

"I…" the girl said as Ilya pulled her into a comforting embrace "…I… don't have… parents… or a sister… I was told… that it was better to forget they ever existed."

"It's alright…" Ilya whispered soothingly as they sank together on the floor. "…I'm here now. I'll be your sister. I won't leave you alone. You can't smile… so I'll smile for both of us, until the day you can smile once again yourself."

Kirsche's eyes widened as she pulled away from Ilya, who smiled and felt her face again while looking into her eyes.

"Can't you cry either?" she asked and Kirsche shook her head.

"I… stopped crying a long time ago. Crying and screaming… they don't do anything…"

"You're right." Ilya said, much to Kirsche's surprise. "You're an Einzbern, and we don't scream or cry. As grandfather told me, if you have time to scream or cry, then shouldn't you use that energy to make whoever is hurting you pay for it?"

The other girl was silent, and Ilya pulled her into another embrace while rubbing her back. "You… I… we are not alone anymore. We… we'll become stronger together, until the time comes when no one can hurt us anymore."

Kirsche closed her eyes and returned Ilya's embrace, and cried for the first time in a long while. "…Yes… yes, Ilya."

Ilya just smiled and let her sister sob into her shoulder while holding her comfortingly.

* * *

Kirsche's mind came back to the present as she continued to look in disbelief at the face of her older sister.

"Thor," she said with a cold voice, not caring if anyone else besides her teammates heard the name of her Servant. "Stay down. Don't you dare interfere."

She glared at her Servant with such fierce eyes that even the demigod did nothing but obey and returned into spirit form.

"Kirsche?" She heard a voice speak to her.

"The same goes to you, Hellhound," she said, turning back to him. "This is my business. If you get in my way I will kill you."

Edward knew she wasn't kidding; he wasn't stupid, he knew she was stronger than him by far. But while he didn't really understand what she meant by 'business' he couldn't remain seated because just as with Kirsche, Ilya was her older sister and to him his younger, the girl he had sworn to protect since he took her from the Einzberns to reunite her with her father.

"Kirsche… What are…?"

He didn't get to finish as Nero rushed at Pleiades with an expression full of hatred and betrayal. Pleiades got her trident ready. She couldn't move at light speed like before since her head still felt light due to the blow she received from Mjolnir.

Once again the two clashed, but Pleiades felt the ground around her crack under the pressure of Nero's crimson blade.

"How dare you! You are one of the most important people to him! Then why do you want to kill your brother so badly?!"

At her words Pleiades' eyes widen.

"Answer me Illyasviel!" Nero yelled as she put more strength into her strike.

Pleiades was confused by her words not only because Nero knew who she really was, but she had called the Hellhound her brother. To her that word was nothing but a lie, the only person she could ever consider one was long dead—she made sure of it.

"Shut up!" Pleaides shouted as both weapons repelled each other.

Nero landed a few meters in front of her, ignoring the heat of the scorching land and pointed her blade at her.

"My Praetor… Edward doesn't need any more blood in his hands! For the likes of you I am more than enough!"

She prepared to dash at Pleiades once again but she felt a presence behind her and instinctively turned back to block the two halberds of the Einzbern homunculi which had just appeared.

"You…" Nero said, glaring back at Kirsche, who slowly walked past her.

"Don't interfere, Servant," Kirsche said without even looking at her. Her declaration about the Hellhound being Ilya's brother didn't matter to her. She was well aware of the many possibilities of the Kaleidoscope, but she didn't care at all.

More homunculi came from her shadow and attacked Pleiades, but for the Valkyrie they were nothing. She dodged their charge and slew them in a matter of seconds thanks to her speed. Cutting limbs and obliterating all the enemies in front of her, she moved so swiftly that the only thing the others could see were shallow streams of light, as if she were more of a spear: a spear of light.

"As expected of Ilya," Kirsche said in a whisper.

She didn't expect them to win, she used them only as a distraction and it worked, but not for the reason she expected.

"Einzbern homunculi?" Pleiades couldn't believe who she was fighting. "Who are you?!"

Kirsche didn't answer, at least not in words, as in the next second she raised her hand at her sister and a beam of energy shot at the Valkyrie.

Fast, so fast the Valkyrie couldn't even react in time and only realized what had happened the moment the attack impacted her chest and sent her flying.

Kirsche turned to look at the other pair as Nero cut down the homunculi she had sent to keep her busy before disappearing into her own shadow.

"Wait!" Nero yelled, but there was no one to listen to her words. "…So annoying."

She made her blade disappear as she ran to her Master's side.

* * *

Pleiades crashed a few kilometers away from where she had been fighting while her mind still tried to wrap itself around what had just happened. She didn't have time to finish as Kirsche emerged once again in front of her.

She jumped back the moment she realize this, just to rush at her with her trident in hand, at great speed. The trident didn't reach its target as it was stopped by an invisible wall. No matter how much power Pleiades put into her weapon the barrier didn't waver.

"It's useless."

Kirsche's right hand began to glow before another blast of prana was shot. This time it was a little slower, the difference almost imperceptible, but it allowed Pleiades the chance to dodge. The Valkyrie rose into the sky and saw the sphere pass under her and didn't notice Kirsche's hand turning into a fist for a second, only to open again.

The sphere divided itself into five blasts, and then she moved her index and middle fingers as if pointing to the sky, commanding them to follow their target. Pleiades saw this and while she would normally curse in a situation like this, she didn't have the time. She flew in that dark sky while trying to dodge the trailing beams.

Eventually they found her and the sky trembled with the explosion's shockwaves. Kirsche knew this wasn't enough to beat her. She began to get ready for her next move but a golden light dissipated the smoke as a golden trident flew at her like a star.

"Gungnir…!" Pleiades yelled.

The trident impacted Kirsche's barrier and while this was a powerful attack her barrier should easily repel it. That was an unchanged outcome determined by the difference in power between the two of them.

Yet the clash had an unexpected outcome as the trident broke the barrier and barely missed the Einzbern magus. Golden light filled the place where she had been standing for a second before the ground cracked and the light was replaced by destruction.

Kirsche barely manage to escape, not understanding how her barrier had been broken, transporting herself with her shadow. The left sleeve of her dress was burnt but she hadn't received any damage. She looked up to see a sphere made of wires in the middle of the sky.

The wires began to unravel and revealed the figure of her sister. Just now she had abandoned her mask and Kirsche could completely see her in her true form: a girl a little taller than what she remembered wearing a long, pure white dress with pendulous sleeves and matching leggings that seemed to be made of gold. There were seven rings at the chest, a crimson tippet around her neck which fell at her sides, and an ivory coronet adorned her head.

"The Dress of Heaven…" Kirsche bit her lower lip. "So this is the reason Gaia saved you. It wasn't pity or recognition; she just wanted your power."

She wouldn't forgive the World for using her sister in such a way. Hate found its place in her eyes as Ilya descended in front of her.

"Don't worry sister… I will free you from this," Kirsche said in a whisper, trying to hide her concern.

* * *

In the castle two spearmen continued to face each other, each of them compelled by the need to protect their Masters.

Speaking of pure ability and skill the two seemed completely even. Yet this draw was something that shouldn't have existed. Lance had been wounded by Astolfo and Edel three days prior and the only reason he managed to survive was due to his skill of Battle Continuation.

On his side Diarmuid was in perfect shape since he had recovered mana by consuming the jewels that were once hearts of golems. So, the green spearman should have controlled the present battle and easily slain the black spearman, but somehow that was impossible.

As their spears met each other, Diarmuid realized he was barely keeping up with Lance, stalling for time being the best he could achieve against him.

Lance swung his bright red spear, making Diarmuid jump back, barely missing the strike though a small slash remained in his chest. The attack had barely grazed him yet the wound was there.

"How?" Diarmuid couldn't understand. The man in front of him fought more like a beast than a man.

Amazing speed and reflexes with heavy strikes that could break bones and rip off skin, killing him in that very moment. Still while Lance would be able to achieve such things in normal circumstances, at present he was at his limit and every one of his strikes should tear his muscles and reopen the wounds he had received days earlier.

But the blue-haired spearman continued to move, ignoring the pain while being driven by an unknown force. What drove him couldn't be properly called a force, but something which formed part of Lance's very nature.

Unlike the other Heroic Spirits of his faction he was an Alter Servant, a tainted spirit that could be considered another side of a determinate Servant. In the war from Atosaki's universe, seven of these twisted beings were summoned to a post-apocalyptic world. Normally these kinds of Servants didn't serve anyone, they have lost most of their reason and in this war they just killed their so-called Masters and anyone standing in the way.

In that war, the world was corrupted so that it summoned corrupted Servants. They fought without a purpose, yet there was an exception. The first time Lance saw Atosaki he tried to kill her, and he almost succeeded, he'd had his spear at her throat. But even when almost nothing remained of the man he used to be, he couldn't bring himself to do it, because in his eyes she was so fragile and pure that she didn't deserve the pain.

During the time they spent there he saw her suffer during many occasions, watching others die for her to survive. She was too naïve, she let others enter her heart too easy. Anyone who had experienced half of what she did would have pushed others away in order to avoid the agony of loss. Even with such a bloody war she managed to stay true to herself and her beliefs.

He didn't know when he began to care so much about her. Leaving aside their relation as Master and Servant he wanted to protect her and keep her safe by his own will.

Maybe it was because she cared about him too.

Maybe he wanted to keep her hands clean.

A pure will born by a desire that went against his instincts, a desire that shouldn't exist inside of the being he had become, that was what kept him moving.

The two fighters separated once again, and they looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Lance rushed at Diarmuid.

But this time Diarmuid held his golden spear high and the moment Lance came into range he lowered it like a hammer, stopping Lance's advance and forcing him to dodge. The black-clad spearman side stepped to the left and saw the opponent's crimson spear pass in front of his eyes.

Diarmuid swung his gold weapon. Using the small opening, his spear met Lance but this time he managed to push Diarmuid back thanks to the sudden movement.

As he landed, Lance could hear it, how Kousuke was struggling to block each of the strikes of his opponent. He stood there for a second as mana began to warp itself around Gáe Bolg, an aura of sheer power ready to be unleashed at the enemy in front of him.

Truth to be told, this was all Lance had left and the moment Diarmuid saw the glow he got ready to answer the challenge.

"Gáe Bolg!" Lance yelled, the only words this form allowed him.

A crimson beam flew through the space between the two spearmen, with only one target: Diarmuid's heart. This was the legendary spear which changed the law of cause and effect and pierced the heart of the target the moment its name was called.

Normally there shouldn't be any way to avoid this attack, but as the crimson light approached its target it found the tip of another spear in its way.

Such resistance should be futile as Gáe Bolg would break the spear or just change its trajectory in order to pierce the target. In a normal situation, even while he could cut through magic and curses with Gáe Dearg, Diarmuid couldn't stop this Noble Phantasm no matter how much he tried.

That was because he couldn't stop what already happened. At the very call of this attack, Diarmuid's heart had already been pierced, abd in order to change this he would need an ability that could alter destiny itself, resurrection power or an impenetrable shield.

Diarmuid didn't have any of those so he couldn't defend himself, and he would die. But what if he didn't try to stop the spear at all?

Using instincts he had polished during years of battles he managed to make the two spears clash. But as the collision continued Diarmuid saw how cracks began to appear on his spear. He expected that already.

Gáe Dearg broke into pieces and the demonic spear struck the green spearman in the chest and he fell to his knees. Yet the moment after he threw his spear, Lance felt a deep pain in his right shoulder as he felt his arm go limp. After Diarmuid went down, he saw the golden spear had struck his shoulder and severed the muscles.

Then he heard a cough and his eyes widened as he noticed that Gáe Bolg had hit him in the middle of the chest instead of a little to the left where his heart was. In that instant which lasted less than a second where the tips of the two spears clashed, Diarmuid managed to cut through Gáe Bolg's curse.

It was like a small cut in a big tapestry, barely visible, but that allowed him survive. The curse would remain, his wound wouldn't heal completely and he had lost a spear. But in exchange he managed to take Lance's right arm.

"I… got… ya…" Diarmuid said as blood began to drip from his mouth.

The spear in his chest disappeared and returned to its master, leaving a trail of blood between the two. Lance held his spear with his remaining arm and prepared to finish the enemy in front of him.

He dragged his body with what remained of his strength, barely able to lift his spear so in that state he didn't hear the roar of the bulls in the distance.

* * *

Back to what used to be a forest, powers continued to clash with each other while Kirsche and Ilya confronted one another. Wires in the form of birds fell from the sky like silver rain while Kirsche transported herself through the area as she counterattacked with her own beams.

"So you are another puppet for those old bastards?" Ilya asked as she dodged all the spheres of energy Kirsche shot at her.

Kirsche didn't answer right away. She had to admit the power of the Dress of Heaven was such that now Ilya was actually able to put up a fight. Yet there should be a greater gap between the two, Kirsche's attacks should destroy her and her shields could repel any attack but she found herself struggling and the reason eluded her.

"Me, a puppet?" Kirsche didn't want to see her like that. "What about you, Ilya?! You are just a pawn of the World! A Guardian who Alaya will use and then throw away like nothing!"

Silver strings joined, forming silver blades that flew at Kirsche, though her barrier managed to stop them.

"You think I care?!" Ilya yelled as her blades began to rotate, trying to saw through the barrier. "Father abandoned me! The Einzberns just use me to retrieve their oh-so precious Third Magic!"

She stopped for a second and Kirsche could swear she saw a tear fall.

"…and the person who said they would protect me decided to abandon me like father, and tried to kill me!"

Kirsche couldn't help but flinch after seeing the pain in her eyes. She wouldn't care about the pain of others but she couldn't ignore it if it was on Ilya's face, because she was important to her.

"Even so… You have become what you hate the most, Ilya…" Kirsche made her barrier grow and rotate around her, repelling Ilya's wire blades. "…You have become a mere doll."

The blades continued to rotate around Ilya as she landed a few meters in front of Kirsche.

"I know…" she said, looking down. "But that is better than being a human."

"Ilya…"

"Don't say that name! I don't know how you know me and I don't care! Illyasviel is long dead!"

"You … You idiot!" Kirsche yelled as Ilya rushed at her.

* * *

At the very same moment in the castle Kousuke continued to struggle, barely dodging Kayneth's attacks. He knew full well that Kayneth was just playing with him, but in this scenario when he barely had any strength left, taking advantage of his arrogance was his only hope.

The tentacles of the Mystic Code kept flying over at great speed, stopping him from cutting up the distance. So he needed Kayneth to come at him. He had to admit, that Mystic Code was the worst matchup in his present state.

"Is this all you can muster, pathetic mouse?" Kayneth said, barely containing his laughter. "I thought that coming here I might find a worthy magus whom I could fight with pride…"

He didn't get to finish as Kousuke began to laugh instead.

"Really…" Kousuke said, trying to stifle himself. "… You traditional magi don't know anything besides looking down on others, right?"

"Using such weapons, don't you have any pride as a magus?"

Another strike came at Kousuke. He parried the first one and rolled to the front to dodge the second.

"I think we have different definitions of pride… Archibald."

"Is that so? Then enlighten me… Who are you again?"

Kousuke grimaced.

"Now I understand why everybody liked your successor more," he said with a sigh. "I'm Kousuke Yagami."

The last name rang a bell in Kayneth's mind.

"I see… I remember that name. That pathetic family of Japan that didn't follow any of the traditions of the magi. They didn't achieve anything in many generations," Kayneth said.

Kousuke grit his teeth, trying to control himself.

"Well, I hope you don't mind taking that back when I cut you down," he said, pointing his blade at him.

He was bluffing and he really hoped Kayneth bought it.

"Alright, let's do this. I won't attack." A grin appeared on Kayneth's face. "If you manage to land a blow on me then it's your win, boy."

Kayneth raised his hands as Volumen Hydrargyrum began to form a sphere of mercury around him.

"If you can pass this, you may leave freely and take the girl with you."

Kousuke just glared back at him until the mercury completely covered Kayneth. He took his blade with both hands and walked a few steps towards the sphere.

He raised his blade over his head.

"Yagami no Kenjutsu…"

He imagined the cut he was about to do.

"…Ryōdan!" he yelled as he brought forth his blade with such force that it seemed capable of cutting a person in half.

The fast and strong swing unleashed a slash of pressure that even left a mark on the ground separating the two magi. The dust from the floor rose in the air, creating a cloud where Kayneth stood.

"Damn…" Kousuke already knew the outcome of his attack.

As the smoke cleared he saw it hadn't done anything and he could hear Kayneth laugh behind the shield.

Kousuke looked at his blade, the image was blurry. His fight with the Hellhound had left him too weak.

Suddenly a spike shot from the sphere and using his peripheral vision he barely managed to react in time and resist the impact. Still the blow was enough to send him flying into the wall.

"Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo yelled, still on her knees, and then glared at Kayneth. "You said you wouldn't attack!"

The Archibald magus merely laughed.

"It's your fault for believing it."

Blood was covering his vision, and Kousuke was in a bad situation.

"How can I beat that thing…" He thought to himself. "… It's hard as steel…"

Then his eyes widened in realization, and he stood up using his blade as a staff.

"It seems I have to finish this." Kayneth spoke with a sigh. "But don't worry, you did well. For a rat, that is."

Kousuke didn't answer. He continued to look at the sphere, concentrating his mind on a single point.

"Kanpeki Jikkō…"

"Don't dishonor yourself anymore, boy."

"…Yagami no Kenjutsu…"

He put his blade back in the scabbard.

"Useless!" Kayneth yelled as another spike dove at Kousuke, who disappeared before it could reach him.

Kayneth didn't realize this until the moment he saw the spikes strike an empty space.

"What?! To be able to dodge an attack from Volumen Hydrargyrum…!" Kayneth's eyes went round in confusion. "That is impossible!"

Then the sound of a person landing a few meters behind him made him turn.

"That was a very good trick," Kayneth said, still unable to understand what had happened. "But it's useless… I will…"

He didn't finish as he heard the sound of something being cut. Before he could react in any way, half of the sphere that surrounded him fell to the ground.

"…Nadegiri." Kousuke limited himself to say.

At the same time a deep cut appeared on Kayneth's right shoulder as blood began to spill and the magus screamed in pain.

"How?!" He tried to stop the blood flowing from his wound with his remaining arm. He turned and saw that the spike he had used to attack earlier lay on the floor cut in half.

Kousuke didn't turn back as he began to breathe heavily.

"You don't see it, magus?" a voice said.

Kayneth prepared to yell back at whoever dared intrude but decided against it when he saw the owner of the voice was Iskandar, with Diarmuid over his shoulder and Waver behind him.

"He defeated your ultimate defense with mere pressure."

"What?"

"A little slow for an educator, aren't you?" The King of Conquerors sighed. "A high speed attack in which he focused all his power upon a single point. Such power and speed allowed him to cut something as durable as steel."

He wasn't wrong, but there was another thing that allowed something like this to happen. In his state, he couldn't execute such an attack but he had a hidden ace, his origin Perfection. An origin had many effects on the user and could be used in many ways, and there was one that was triggered by two words, forming a spell: Kanpeki Jikkō.

When activated it allowed Kousuke to bypass the time and experience to do a certain task and push it to its most perfect state. In this case it took Nadegiri, a precision cut of extreme force and speed that it should be able to cut through many opponents and even steel. Kousuke still didn't have the ability to use it like that and for him to do it he would need many years of training. However, tthanks to his origin he was able to use it in a perfect form and slash to the defense of Volumen Hydrargyrum.

So swift and merciless, Kayneth didn't realize when it happened.

"Im…Impossible… a piece of trash like him…" He covered the left side of his face with his bloody hand as he felt his right arm go numb and let the black jewel fall into the ground. "I won't accept it. It was just a coincidence! I was too careless! If I had been serious, something like a dirty blade …"

"It's not just a sword…" Kousuke interrupted him without turning back. "…This is a blade forged at the exact time of my birth. The bond I share with my family! This is my pride!"

"Shut up! I will end you right now, trash!"

Kayneth wouldn't accept being overwhelmed by another magus who under his standards was inferior.

"Stop it already, magus," Iskandar said with a serious face. He walked up to him and put a hand on his good shoulder. "Don't disgrace yourself any further."

"Who do you think you are to order me, Ser…"

He wasn't able to finish as Iskandar slapped him in the face, making him fall to the ground.

"You fool! You attacked an injured opponent and dared to underestimate him!" The King of Conquerors yelled while looking down on him. "You talk about pride but in you there is only arrogance!"

Kayneth couldn't move, too afraid of the imposing figure of the king in front of him.

"And in that arrogance you challenged him to a duel, the rules of which you broke, yet he managed to overcome you! But instead of trying to preserve any honor remaining, you tried to attack him again! No! I won't allow you to continue tainting the honor of our army!"

Silence reigned until it was broken by the sound of the bakudo Kousuke had put around Atosaki breaking and fading into nothingness. Iskandar turned to the girl and Tamamo.

"This night is your victory. I, Iskandar the King of Conquerors, proclaim the battle over!" He took the gladius from his belt and pointed into the sky. Looking more carefully at Atosaki he smiled. "You have good comrades. Let's meet again on the battlefield, young warriors."

With that he made his chariot appear outside the castle, the bulls pulling it near the destroyed wall of the castle. The King of Conquerors hopped on along with his Master and the unconscious Diarmuid. Kayneth was the last to get on and as the chariot rose into the skies and began to lose itself in the distance he never stopped glaring at Kousuke's bloodied face.

* * *

The chariot continued to fly through the sky and eventually came across a golden ship with a golden king riding it.

"So tell me, Goldie. What are you going to do?"

Gilgamesh just looked at him as if that were a question which needn't be answered. He didn't have any interest in this fight in the first place, whoever won didn't matter to him. He'd simply come to enjoy a spectacle and he had to concede that it had been worthwhile.

"These mongrels at least know how to entertain a king," he said to himself. "I guess I will accompany you, Rider."

"Shouldn't you worry about you Master, Goldie?"

"Rider. I'm in a good mood so I won't kill you for implying I serve another. Tokiomi is just one of my vassals. He sought this fight so he can manage to return."

Kayneth saw the two Servants talk with widened eyes and only one thought plagued his mind.

"Gilgamesh… the King of Heroes is too dangerous to be left on his own."

* * *

Kousuke began to breathe heavily as his vision turned blurry and before he knew it he had already collapsed on the spot. Using Kanpeki Jikkō drained all the mana he had left and in order to realize such feats his body paid the price.

"Goshujin-sama!" Tamamo yelled as she stood up and ran to where he had collapsed.

She began to examine how he was when someone interrupted her.

"Caster-san…" She turned to see Atosaki slowly walking up to them. "Let me help."

Tamamo just nodded as Atosaki put her hands against his chest and focused on the point of contact. As Kousuke's wounds began to close, Tamamo saw how Atosaki's brow furrowed and blood began to drip from her nose and mouth. She finally stopped and the moment she did she spat up more blood.

"Hey! What happened?!"

"Sorry…" Atosaki said, covering her mouth like it would hide the evidence. "…Don't worry about it, it's nothing."

She tried her best to smile and reassure Tamamo she was fine, but it was useless.

"You…"

She cut her off. "It's the least I can do for them."

Caster's eyes widened but before she could complain, steps could be heard and she prepared for the worst, but she sighed with relief when she saw it was Leo with Lance at his side.

"Lance!" Atosaki cried happily. Normally she would run to him and hug him but she was a little too weak from transferring life force to Kousuke.

"It seem all of you are alright," Leo said with relief.

"Leo-san, what about the others?"

"Well, I sent Kage and Breno back and I already found Archer lying outside the castle."

Atosaki was relieved that the others were fine. She hadn't seen what happened with their battles after she was freed by Tamamo, so she couldn't help but feel worried.

"The only ones I haven't seen are Kage's Assassin, Kirsche and the Hellhound," Leo continued.

Tamamo look down.

"Assassin Balthasar is dead."

Leo's eyes widened for a second before returning to normal.

"I see. Then the only ones missing are Hellhound and Kirsche, along with their Servants," he said with a cold voice. "But I don't think we need to worry about those two. I mean, that girl gives me the creeps but I can sense she's strong, and the Hellhound had enough power to turn the forest into a wasteland. "

Atosaki gasped and tried to stand up. Not understanding why she tried so hard, Leo decided to help her so she wouldn't hurt herself, and he guided her to the edge of the wall. What used to be a forest was now an open field made of fire and ash.

"Edward… Edward-san did this?"

No one spoke until a blazing pillar of light emerged in the distance. Everyone wondered what it was, but Tamamo knew who was responsible. She wasn't a fool, she had felt something different since the very beginning, but there was another energy she was feeling: something familiar but she couldn't remember what.

"What are you planning Kirsche?" she said in a whisper.

* * *

Kirsche saw how Ilya fell in front of her, it took longer that she expected. She came closer. The Dress of Heaven, once pure white was now gray because of the ashes, the crown she wore long gone and the long sleeves were burned, revealing pale, thin arms.

Kirsche walked up to her, she needed to focus on what she was about to do.

Ilya raised her face to see Kirsche's eyes.

"Finish… it," she said. She didn't want any pity or humiliation from humans.

Still she didn't know the effect those words had over Kirsche. She never intended to kill her. She wasn't able to because if she did, she wouldn't be able to look in the eyes of the Ilya she knew, the Ilya she loved.

She wanted to seal her away beyond time and space, for her to wander for eternity dreaming beyond the control of the World.

"Kill… me, Einzbern…"

In that moment the face of her Ilya popped into her mind and for an instant Kirsche was unable to move and suddenly she understood why it had taken so much work to fight her. Ever since she discovered Pleiades' real identity she couldn't separate the two Ilya's she knew from one another. During the entire fight she had been thinking of this Ilya as the one she knew. Affected by her pain, she subconsciously held back as she was afraid of killing her by accident.

A deep pain brought her back to reality as she glimpsed a dagger on the left side of her stomach. Blood began to stain her clothes and she fell to her knees. Ilya stood up in front of her as her wires turned into a small sword.

Thor appeared and moved to attack the Counter Guardian but wires came from behind him and wrapped around the Aesir, holding him for a couple of seconds. It wouldn't last, but those seconds were enough for her to finish Kirsche.

Kirsche tried to react but she wouldn't be fast enough, and she saw how Ilya lowered her blade, yet the pain never came. A crimson hand stopped the blade, blood driping from it. Ilya's eyes widened and Kirsche frowned, annoyed by the presence of the newcomer.

"I remember saying not to intervene, Hellhound."

The young man with crimson eyes turned his head toward her.

"Kirsche, you aren't the first woman who threatened to kill me and I'm sure you won't be the last one."

Kirsche just glared at him.

"You!" Ilya yelled "Why?! Why I can't get rid of you?!"

The wires forming blade separated and wrapped themselves around Edward's left arm, trying to slice through and destroy him from the inside. Yet the only response from the Hellhound came as flame burning the wires, and the two girls saw how useless molten threads fell to the ground.

"Sorry Ilya…" he just said, not looking at her.

"Wha… What are you talking about?!"

"Sorry for not realizing it was you."

"Leave, Hellhound, I said this was my business!" Kirsche yelled.

"Like hell I will! This is my business too!" His hand tightened into a fist "After all, it's the duty of the older brother to protect the younger sibling, even if I must protect her from herself."

Ilya cried out in rage as her wires reordered into the form of a gigantic fist that could completely crush this so-called brother.

A gigantic spectral hand appeared to stop the silver fist.

"How dare you to pretend you know me!?" Ilya yelled.

"Because I do!" Edward yelled back as he used all his remaining energy to keep himself from being smashed. "You may not know me, but I do! You are the girl I promised father I would protect, no matter what!"

His arm turned white along with his hair and flames. The ground around him began to crack as he and his spectral hand began to be pushed down. Ilya was completely confused. He seemed different, he wasn't fighting back; he was just defending himself.

"Coward! Do something! You wanted to kill me, didn't you?!"

"Y-yeah… I wanted to make you pay for the pain you caused Clare, but I won't hurt you. Not again!"

The spectral arm began to grow and began to burn the gigantic fist. Edward coughed blood as he fell to one of his knees. Kirsche saw how the blood continued to flow from the wound he had in his stomach.

Ilya felt something strange coming from his white arm. Something very familiar.

"This is the soul Liz gave me… her will."

"Liz?" Ilya's eyes softened when she heard that name.

One of the few people who actually cared about her, until he took her away. Until the moment he killed her.

Ilya completely stopped her movements so that she looked like a statue. Both the physical and emotional exhaustion finally began to affect her.

Kirsche took the dagger out her side and began to heal her wound as the two magi began to get closer to Ilya.

"Don't come near!" she yelled as more silver daggers made of strings appeared around her.

They flew at the two of them but Kirsche's barrier blocked them, and they continued to advance.

"What happened, Ilya?" Edward asked.

"He… he killed her… He decided to sacrifice everything for his ideal… Sakura, Rin, he killed them all… he said he had become just like father."

Her words began to scare the two Masters.

"Who did that Ilya?" Kirsche asked softly.

"Onii-chan…" She said the name with sadness before her face showed her hate. "Shirou did it! He betrayed me!"

Edward's arm turned back to normal along with his hair as Kirsche wrapped her arms around Ilya's neck and hugged her. They shared the same feeling in this situation. It wasn't her fault she became like this. She didn't choose this, destiny forced her. The two saw that in front of them was a young girl broken beyond anything they had ever seen.

"I hate you…" she said with a cracking voice. "… I hate you both…"

A warm hand touched her right cheek.

"That's fine. If hating us will soften your pain even if a little, then I don't mind." Kirsche continued caressing Ilya's face. "That doesn't mean we will abandon you."

"Alright, that's enough for now," a voice said.

The two Masters reacted and saw a crimson knight behind Ilya.

"Hello, you two." He smiled. "I am the Counter Guardian Antares."

In the next second they felt a pressure so full of bloodlust and violence that the two were pushed back by reflex.

Antares didn't seem to pay them any attention. Instead, he picked up Ilya bridal style.

"You poor thing. They made you remember, didn't they?" he cooed as he looked Ilya in the eye. "I came to punish you, but I guess this is enough."

"I… I… I don't want to remember…"

"I know, Pleiades. I know."

"…Too painful."

A circle of fire began to surround them and the two Guardians began to disappear.

"Wait!" Kirsche yelled. "Where are you taking her?!"

"To a place where neither of you can hurt her."

"Saber!"

"Berserker!"

The two yelled as their respective Servants appeared at their sides, but before either of them could even move, a scorpion stinger swatted Nero away in a flash.

Thor dashed at him but then the stringer hit the right side of his body before wrapping itself around the Aesir, smashing him into the ground.

"Get your hands off her!" Kirsche yelled. In her hand she formed a large amount of mana and shot it at Antares.

A beam of light came from her hand and engulfed Antares, who didn't even bother to dodge, but instead of smoke, flames came from where Antares had been standing. The last attack didn't have any effect on the Counter Guardian.

"Impossible…"

Edward ran up to them and saw how the two faded before he could reach them.

"Damn it," he said, staring down.

Kirsche didn't say anything. She just continued to look at the spot where Ilya had disappeared.

"Sorry, Praetor," Nero said as she walked to her master.

"Don't worry, Saber," he replied, and his Servant turned back into spirit form along with Thor.

"Let's go back, Hellhound. The battle in the castle should be over by now."

Edward nodded and he summoned Kyrph to ride.

"Want a ride?" He turned towards Kirsche.

The noblewoman just sighed.

"Normally I would reject the offer, but this little game has tired me a little."

He smiled at her as he waited for her get on Kyrph.

* * *

Far away inside of many of the now-abandoned buildings of the city Zelretch, who had been watching everything, sighed in annoyance as he really hated when other beside him were right.

"I guess your deduction was correct."

He turned to face the two figures seated on the other side of the room.

"I'm certain that my brother would love to say I told you so." One of the figures answered. "But you kind of expected it didn't you? Why else would you have me summon my sister?"

"I can't believe you convinced her to come here. Don't misunderstand I'm happy to see her as a grown up girl. The last time I saw her she was just a child." The other said.

"Can't make a favor to your old mentor?"

"You really are desperate if you are actually asking favors."

"It's because he is desperate sister."

The sun began to rise in the horizon and its light entered the room revealing the appearance of the two figures.

A young woman in her early twenties with blue eyes and long black hair attired in a white, long-sleeved and collared blouse under a red neck tie and a black vest over a black, knee-length skirt. A lock of her hair was tied with a red ribbon at her left brow.

The other figure was a woman in her thirties with matching hair and eyes – sans the red ribbon - wearing a red cloak over a mundane business ensemble.

"I guess damnation hasn't taught how to respect your elders Rin."

"You are actually asking for respect?"

Zelretch just sighed.

"So what can you tell me about these Counter-Guardians?"

"Well only that you were outsmarted badly. Your idea to search for Masters from other worlds was good. But Alaya played you just as well."

"What do you mean nee-san?"

"Kaus and Pleiades, they are ones who enjoy killing humans. Situla is strong but kind but he won't betray Alaya. Zelretch, Alaya chose specific Counte-Guardians specialized in extermination."

"What about Antares?" the old wizard asked.

Rin sighed not really wanted to talk about it.

"Pray that he doesn't enter the battle. If he does, then everybody will die. No one can beat him be it the King of Heroes or anyone." She said completely serious. "His title of the strongest is no show the only one who could be his equal could be Dog of Gaea."

Zelretch remained silent for a while before turning his attention to the younger girl.

"Alright I will admit I mess up." The other two wish they had a camera for this. "This is what happens when you spread your focus too much. So what do you think Sak…oh sorry, Third Magician Cattleya Velvet"

Cattleya looked at the ceiling for a second.

"I think I want to meet this groups you have formed." She said with a smile.

* * *

Finally this Arc is over and we have a new special guest in this story! XD

So i will admit Diarmuid way to avoid death can be debatable and not 100% accurate cant negate it would cool to see the clash.

So to know more about Kousuke Origin read Nomorenamesleft Fate Demon Fox.

Well that's all for know. but really i don't sure whenever continue with the Sakura arc or put some specials to relax. Well i have suggestion. XD


	28. Chapter 27 Aftermath

Chapter 27 Aftermath

Fiore's eyes opened and she saw the vaulted ceiling of her chambers, now lying on her bed. Images began to flash through her mind, confusing and frightening her at the same time. She lifted herself up and slowly inspected her room. Nothing seemed different. Even more, the atmosphere seemed so calm that it made her remember those times before everything started.

When there were no battles.

When she didn't have to choose anything.

When she could talk with her brother like normal.

She looked at her left hand with no seals on it, as if those images were nothing but traces of a dream.

"Something wrong sis?" A voice snapped her from her thoughts. At her left was Caules sitting while reading a book.

"Caules? You…you are here, right?"

Caules raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm here, what are you talking about sis?"

Fiore didn't answer.

Memories continued to come, of her telling him to never call her his sister again, and how he obeyed without complaint.

No… it was just a dream…

She felt her head throb.

"You alright, sis?" He sounded concerned. Caules stood up and put his hand on her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever."

Fiore didn't move. This was something she had longed for, to regain the bonds which had been severed.

"Sorry…" she finally said with a smile. "… I guess I'm still a little sleepy."

"If you say so."

"On the other hand, Caules?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Mm? What is it sis?"

"What are you doing in my room?"

Caules opened his mouth to talk but no words came out. He then began to think.

"I just came to see you. I found you sound asleep, which is very rare by the way. I didn't want to wake you up so I just decided to wait."

"Creepy…"

"Hey! You always complain when someone wakes you up!"

"But that doesn't mean you have to watch me sleep either!"

Caules huffed. "The last time you threw that nice alarm clock I bought you!"

"Maybe if you had told me how to shut it down I wouldn't have had to!"

"I did, like a million times! It's you who never listen!"

Neither of them spoke another word and for a moment they just continued to look at each other.

"Look, sorry… I will call the maids to help you," Caules said at last as he began to walk to the door.

But after a couple of steps he felt a tug at the left sleeve of his jacket.

Fiore didn't know what she had done, but as she stopped him from leaving more images flashed through her mind.

She shook her head. Those images didn't mean anything to her. She wouldn't accept them.

"I… I had a weird dream…"

"Sis?"

"We were in a war, and our family belonged to a faction. During that war I did many horrible things to you… I cut our relationship because I believed it was the best course of action." She didn't know why it hurt so much saying this. After all none of that was real… right?

"We continued to fight… We grew apart. Eventually I made you betray someone who had put her faith in you…." The image of her brother with blank eyes haunted her again. "In the end you couldn't endure it and you just left…"

Caules didn't turn around and that made her worries increase. She wanted him to reassure her it was just a mere dream, that such things would never happen, but Caules didn't say anything.

His silence was painful, because his silence meant she might be wrong and it wasn't just a dream and she had lost her only family.

"Sis… I'm sorry."

"H-huh?"

"I'm sorry it had to come to this… That I couldn't do this face-to-face." He turned back to her and hugged her.

"You mean more to me than the Grail or any wish I could come up with." He saw tears began to fell from her eyes and he wiped them away. "Believe me when I say this… I never have and never will hate you. I love you sis."

She knew where this going but still refused to face reality.

"Why…? Why are you saying things like this…?"

The room began to crumble.

"Because this is my goodbye, sis."

She couldn't deny it anymore.

"No… no…no!"

She didn't care how selfish she sounded. She couldn't stand how she pushed her brother away.

"I won't accept it! I treated you terribly but still you care about me?! Don't joke around! Scream at me! Hate me!" She hugged him tighter as tears continued to flow. "It… it would make everything easier."

Caules caressed the back of her head.

"Sorry sis… I don't think I can do that."

Fiore sobbed. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for everything…"

"It's alright. I will be fine."

"We will meet again… promise me."

"I promise."

And the entire space faded as the two siblings exchanged a promise both hoped they could keep.

Once again Fiore opened her eyes and found herself in Chiron's arms. The sun began to rise over the horizon and its light began to bathe her with the warm feeling she loved.

"He left…" Tears once again found a place in her eyes.

Chiron just nodded, he knew that there was nothing he could say to soften the blow of the moment. Separation was always a sad end but he knew this was better for Caules. Vlad had commented that Darnic planned to use him and Edel as sacrificial pawns in order to achieve victory. Caules didn't know his sudden decision had saved his life.

He couldn't say any of this to his Master since she still needed to stay and keep the Yggdmillennia around her. So he did the only thing he could: he prayed that neither of the two had to lose anything anymore. It was familiar wish he'd harbored for his students, many of whom fell into despair after becoming heroes.

As the great archer who stood in the eighth house of the zodiac for many ages, he saw what happened to his pupils before whatever of his soul remained in those stars faded and he ascended in the Throne of Heroes. Hercules, Achilles, Ajax, Jason, and so on, many boys he learned to love as if they were his own sons, he watched them die one by one and while they were remembered in history as heroes he wished they could have led happier lives without so much suffering. That being said he wished the same for the girl who was weeping on his chest.

No… this time, he would make this wish come true.

* * *

Edel stopped running when the two found themselves back in the city. She had been carrying Caules all the way from the castle after he finished his conversation with Chiron. It was very early in the morning. The streets were deserted when she put her Master down.

The two began to slowly walk, neither speaking. Edel didn't know what to say and while she still disliked her Master's sister she also understood she was important to him, even when she couldn't understand why after everything that happened.

"The illusion is over," Caules said softly while he continued to walk.

"Master…" she said as she stopped.

"I hope she is alright."

"Why…?" Edel said in a barely audible whisper yet he heard her, stopping too.

"Edel?"

"She… make … Master… sad…" she said, and Caules didn't know what to say. "So… why…?"

He looked at her with a sad smile. "Who knows, I just can't bring myself to hate her."

Removing his glasses, he took a cloth from his pocket and began to clean them.

"I… I just can't."

Edel just looked at him but a part of her understood. It was similar to what she felt towards her father, Victor Frankenstein, a man with a twisted sense of beauty who tried to emulate God just to find repulsion and despair in his creation.

Cast away, being feared by everyone, she tried to understand why she existed and why she was so alone.

That was why she followed him, her feelings being a mix of hate and admiration. She never wished him any harm, at least not in the beginning. The moment she found him cowering in fear in one of the streets of her room she tried to talk to him. No, she pleaded like a child prepared to give up everything else if it meant having a wish fulfilled.

_"I never wanted to trouble you… but when you created me, you made me as only me. I am all alone, and it's painful… it's agonizing… it hurts. So, please, just one more. Please, create one more of me. If anyone can, it is you. Please… give me a mate."_

Those were her most honest words, as this girl believed that she could endure the scorn and fear of this world if she wasn't alone. But her wish and her feelings couldn't be understood by Victor Frankenstein. The man could only feel shame and disgust seeing her, these feelings so strong that he saw neither the fear nor desperation in her voice.

That rejection was enough to drive her insane. She couldn't imagine herself living alone forever. So in her madness she did the only thing she could, she tried to force her father to make her wish a reality.

She killed, she killed his fiancée, his family and friends, hoping that any of those she stole away would make him comply with her wish, but it had the opposite effect, it continued to reaffirm the idea another one like her shouldn't exist.

It would be a lie to say she didn't despise her father, she did but no matter how much those feelings grew she couldn't completely hate him. That was the reason she could never lay a hand on him, even though she could kill him many times instead of his relatives, she could kill him during all those years she pursued him seeking revenge.

Many would believe that she didn't kill him because he was the only one able to create a mate for her, so she restrained herself. But then at the end of her legend when he died she couldn't shake the sadness.

It was the pain felt upon the loss of something important and in that moment she realized that even after all this time she never once called him by his real name and she never stopped calling him father.

"Edel?" A voice bring her back to the present.

She blinked a few times and realized she hadn't moved at all.

"Let's go, we need to find another place to live," Caules said with a sigh. "Any suggestions?"

She look down before answering.

"A… place… with flowers…"

Caules looked pleasantly surprised at her request.

"So a place with a garden?"

Edel nodded.

"Sure, why not?" he said with a smile.

And so the two continued to walk and as she followed him she felt happy. Because even if he wasn't exactly what she wanted, wasn't exactly like her, she wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

Kirsche found herself carefully examining the ceiling of her room. It had been a few hours since all of them returned and still she lay on top of her bed.

When she arrived she didn't expect to see Ramses using his chariot to transport his Master and Kage. When questioned, the Pharaoh just answered: "I don't want another setup." And then he sighed as he kicked his Master out of his chariot. "This peon isn't worth the trouble."

It was a good thing Breno was unconscious but even so no one besides Kirsche knew what he meant by another setup, and he intended to keep it that way.

But none of that mattered to her, her thoughts were still in the words that counterpart of her sister had said a few hours prior.

_"He… he killed her… He decided to sacrifice everything for his ideal… Sakura, Rin, he killed them all… he said he had become just like father._"

She had to admit that learning Shirou had killed so many people, including another version of her, came as a surprise. But for her it didn't stem from the idea that she couldn't imagine him killing, but because the abilities she knew he possessed shouldn't have been able to overcome any of the people mentioned earlier.

"So the Shirou Emiya of her world became a second magus killer…" she said in a whisper.

She felt there was still something missing and with impeccable timing someone appeared to give her some answers.

"You don't need to knock, Supervisor. I know it is you," she said, her eyes still on the ceiling.

The door of her room opened and Ginevra let herself in.

"Well for someone recently involved in a couple of death battles you seem well."

"Is that so?" she asked without looking. "So what's this business you have with me?"

"Shouldn't a princess like you know about manners?" Ginevra said with a smile very similar to her mother's.

Finally Kirsche sat up and decided to talk face to face.

"I'm not in the mood for your games."

"Scary…" Ginevra walked through the room followed by her gaze. "…I just thought that after what happened in the forest you would have some questions for me."

"I do. But not you, your Servant…"

Ginevra's eyes widened for a second but her smile didn't fade.

"Whatever makes you happy… Ruler…"

At her order Jeanne appeared at her side but she never expected to find icy eyes looking at her.

"I only have one question. Did you know?" Kirsche's voice was calm but the coldness in her voice was enough to make anyone shiver in fear.

"I don't understand your question, my lady," Jeanne said sincerely.

Kirsche stood from her bed and walked until she was directly in front of her.

"Are you mocking me, Servant? I stated my question clearly."

The atmosphere inside the room changed completely and Jeanne had to restrain herself from taking a defensive stance. Even when her instincts told her to run she found herself unable to move. But she wasn't paralyzed because of fear, it was that she knew the moment she moved everything would be over.

"I don't intend to insult you my lady. I don't understand your question."

Kirsche seem to calm down a little.

"Very well, I wanted to ask if you knew the real identity of Pleiades was Illyasviel von Einzbern."

Silence reigned in the room.

"No," she said after a few seconds. "I have worked with her a couple of times but I never knew who she really was. After all, it is common for Counter Guardians to try to erase the person they used to be. That's the only way many can keep their sanity."

Jeanne looked away as if feeling ashamed of that.

_"I… I… I don't want to remember… too painful."_

"Just what happened to her?" Kirsche finally asked, unable to hide her frustration.

Ginevra, who had been watching all this decided to finally intervene.

"You know there is only one person who can answer that."

Kirsche sighed. "True, but if I could I would like to avoid asking that old man for a favor."

"Well it can't be helped. He has your answers."

"Then tell me Ginevra. Where is Zelretch?"

Ginevra only smiled. "I will tell you. But not right now, as there are more important things to attend to."

Kirsche raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Everything shall be revealed soon, dear."

"What's with all the secrecy?" she asked—the charade was getting on her nerves.

"Well I'm forced to supervise all of you. Can't blame me for trying to enjoy it a little."

And with that Ginevra left the room as Jeanne faded.

* * *

Achilles was killing some time taking a nap on one of the balconies of the fortress. At least he trying to until he felt another presence and spotted Archer of Red standing on the ledge. He watched her and couldn't help but think she was beautiful.

This was a thought that had occurred to him before and anyone who saw her long green hair and porcelain white skin would agree. For the way she acted and talked he knew she wasn't raised in a city but in the wild. That didn't make her any less beautiful, but this time there was something that made it different.

She was smiling. A smile he never expected to find on her face was there. Now that he saw it he couldn't have enough of it.

A smile someone wore when they finally found something they had been searching for a long time.

The green-haired Servant watch her for a few more seconds wondering what could have happened for her to be like that.

Finally she recognized his presence.

"Wert thou sleeping?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I was already awake." He walked up to her as she sat on the balcony and leaned at her side. "You seem happy."

She just nodded.

"I found him," she said as she turned towards Achilles.

"Found who?" he questioned, trying not to sound so desperate to know.

"Cerberus."

Achilles' eyes rounded at her words. She didn't seem to notice and continued talking.

"He is different but I smell it, the smell of one born from ash and flame."

She didn't say anything else and continued to watch the city as the sun came up.

But he wondered if her happiness was a product of her pride as a hunter who wanted to track down the hound who ruled hell. Or, perhaps it was happiness from knowing that beast was nearby. He could only wonder but decided not to ask. The moment was so peaceful and he didn't want to break it.

That didn't mean anyone else couldn't.

"Oh, glorious morning!" William Shakespeare yelled, not seeing the two Servants.

"So noisy," Achilles complained.

At that very moment William saw the two of them and many ideas began to wander through his mind. He took a book from his pocket and began to write in it furiously as if fearing he would lose the ideas if he didn't get them down in that second.

"What the hell are you doing?" Achilles said, completely surprised by writer's sudden movement.

William didn't raise his head and kept writing for a few more moments. Archer didn't seem to mind and Achilles just sighed as he knew anything he said would end up falling on deaf ears.

Suddenly he closed his book and looked at the two Servants before bowing before them.

"Please! I'm begging you! Let me write a love poem with the two of you!"

Listening to his words Archer turned and look at him with blank eyes.

On the other hand Achilles had a cheeky grin on his face.

"Sure, I don't really mind," he said almost instantly, carefree.

William stood up and shook his hand thankfully before turning to the other person in question.

"Nay," was the only answer he received from Archer before she vanished while glaring at Achilles.

A few moments passed and neither spoke a word, William because he was disappointed at her answer. Achilles smiled silently at the spot where she had been sitting, remembering the scene.

"Really… a very interesting girl."

He finally decided to stop wondering about why she was happy, because at least in the second possible case he could understand, and he would also have a friend he wanted to fight and looked forward to facing him once again.

* * *

In the mansion of the sixth faction Odysseus couldn't help but have a bad feeling. That almost made him stop grinning at the scene in front of him. Almost.

"Stay still, Leo-sama," Kohaku said with a smile.

"I already told you. You don't need to add the '-sama,'" Leo said with a sigh as he let the maid treat his arm.

He didn't really need any of this, not only because he could heal himself but he had gotten used to pain. That was how he managed to keep moving even when he suffered grave wounds.

But when he arrived back home, Kohaku saw his bloody arm and wanted to take a look at it. He managed to escape her at the beginning but she came to his room later on and he decided it would be better to give up this time. He had to admit it was partially his fault, he had managed to heal his ripped muscles and a little of his skin to the point it seem more like silly cuts. But who could blame him, he expected that how the others were she would take care of them and ignore his arm.

Mostly because he considered it unnecessary and he would rather sleep. Finally Kohaku's hands dropped as she smiled at him.

"Alright! It should feel better now Leo-sama!" she said happily.

"Thanks," he said without really caring.

"But really, you should try to be more careful."

"About that, shouldn't you look at the others?"

Kohaku blinked a few times before smiling again at him.

"Well I would normally do that but…"

"But what?"

"Well… I already finished with Edward-sama and Kousuke-sama and so Saber-san and Caster-san told me they would take care of them. Kage-sama was just tired so he didn't need any treatment. Hisui-chan is taking Atosaki-sama to her room and will check on her. Besides you the only one left is Breno-sama."

Leo was surprised at her speed and was about to say something when Odysseus gave him a soft smack on the back of his head.

"You fool! Being nursed by a beautiful girl is one of the pleasures of any warrior."

"Oh Archer-san, you are making me blush," Kohaku said as her cheeks became flushed.

"But my lady, I only spoke the truth," he said with a small bow.

"Thank you! I will come by and check on you later. Bye Leo-sama!" She waved her hands before disappearing through the door.

"…You really need more skill with the ladies, Leo," said Odysseus.

"Aren't you a little too old and… married, to flirt with girls?" he answered back with a cold voice.

"I am just a gentleman, nothing more and nothing less."

Leo sighed before he decided to lie back on his bed and try to sleep a little.

"If you say so, Odysseus." He was about to close his eyes when his Servant spoke to him.

"You realize it too, didn't you?" Odysseus said, rather serious.

"That girl is wearing a mask."

Leo knew about that since sometimes he also did so in order to keep a low profile. He acted like a happy and well-mannered person so the mask that maid wore was easy for him to see through.

"That's not all." Odysseus also knew about masks as he used them many times to deceive other in his schemes, but a mask was something to eventually be removed.

If kept on too long, the wearer might become unsure as to their true identity, and that was what the pair realized was happening to the maid.

"I know…" Leo closed his eyes. "…That's why I don't like her."

"That girl doesn't seem to remember her true self anymore," the bowman said with a hint of sadness. "Just what could have happened to her?"

"I don't know. Everyone has their own demons. It's better if we just leave her be."

"Quite cold aren't ya?"

"Shut up." Leo tried to sleep once again before his Servant woke him up.

"That is no way to live…"

"You are determined to keep me awake aren't you?"

Odysseus raised an eyebrow as he looked at him, trying to make it look like he wasn't doing it on purpose.

"Well enough about that. Tell me why that green haired guy trying to kill you. I thought you two were friends." Leo didn't have that much knowledge about the Trojan War as they were ways that story had been told.

"You want to know?"

"I have a choice?"

Odysseus just laughed.

The Trojan War, a conflict that many authors tried to depict throughout history, said to have begun for many reasons.

Many believed it was because of a woman, Helen. She was the wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta, present while Paris and his brother Hector were visiting them in order to firm a truce between the two nations. Some said Paris kidnapped her and in other versions she decide to escape with him. Either way Paris took Helen, so in order to get her back Menelaus initiated a war against Troy when they didn't return.

Some said it was determined by the gods, when Eris threw the golden apple of discord in Olympus and said that it should be for the most beautiful. Aphrodite, Athena and Hera, three goddesses, fought for the apple and in order to solve the dispute they choose a mortal, Paris, to decide. He chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful and the other two goddesses cursed Troy, his homeland, to burn.

Some said it was for political reasons, that Agamemnon in that time wanted the treasure the Trojans had and he made a move in the shadows to incite the war because he didn't want peace between Greece and Troy. Some said he told Paris to take Helen.

No matter the reason not even Odysseus knew the truth. He only knew that it was a conflict which brought together the greatest of Greece from that time on the battlefield. Whether they were pawns of the gods or not they fought to retrieve Helen.

Over ten years the Trojans and Greeks destroyed each other, the Trojans unable to beat the heroes the Greeks gathered together. On the other side the Greeks couldn't overcome the walls that surrounded Troy.

Inside that army two Greek generals stood above everyone else. Their influence was such that even Agamemnon feared them. One was Achilles the demigod, who had decided to fight in order to obtain glory and ensure that his name would be remembered for eternity.

The other was Odysseus, the greatest tactician they had and a formidable warrior too. Truth to be told the two were the closest of friends as Odysseus was one of the few kings Achilles recognized and respected.

But Odysseus couldn't accept that his friend would throw away his life for something like glory, he didn't consider it worth it. Many times he tried to convince him to leave without results, until after one of his fights with Agamemnon he finally decided to leave after being insulted.

And while part of him knew that they needed him to win, another part was relieved because he believed that his friend deserved more. Yet destiny wasn't so kind and when the hero was about to go, the Trojans attacked. He had already made up his mind but his friend Patroclus decided to fight using his armor to repel the attack so they could leave in peace, but in the midst of battle a madness overcame him and he advanced until he reach the walls of the citadel where he found his death at the hands of Hector.

This marked the return of Achilles to the battlefield, and it also sealed his fate.

Leo listened to the story and for some reason the sleepiness he had felt moments prior vanished as the tale went on.

"That doesn't explain why he wanted to fight you."

"After his death his armor was left for the remaining heroes. At the time Ajax and I remained. I won it but my victory made Ajax go mad and drove him to suicide."

Leo's eyes widened.

"So he wants his armor back?"

Odysseus laughed a little.

"Maybe. But the real reason is that he wanted to challenge the last heroes of our army, especially me, who survived when others perished."

Leo understood, he believed it was a silly reason for fighting but still understood the logic behind it.

"Then what are your reasons."

"I want to knock some sense into his stupid little brain," he said, smiling. "As his friend I want to prove to him life is more than battle and not something as short as he believes. That there is no glory in death, only pain and regret."

"Both of you are idiots," Leo said with a grin as he finally fell asleep.

* * *

In the castle of White Faction, Dan's eyes widened when he saw Robin Hood in front of him swimming in a pool of his own blood with many blades skewering his body. At his side Karna remained impassible along with his Master, Gene.

Dan, who had recovered from his wounds, was on his way back to his room when the very moment he entered the living room the front doors opened. The pair of the Red Faction came in and presented his defeated Servant.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dan yelled as he grabbed the handle of his rapier.

"Calm down, old man," Gene said, raising his arms in a placating gesture. "We just saved him from certain death."

"Is that so?" A new voice was heard, revealing Leo Harwey and Gawain climbing down the stairs from the second floor.

"Yes, we are sorry for disappearing, but we have had some issues since our base was destroyed."

Gene wasn't lying. He knew that in this situation to lie was useless so he tried a different approach, using half-truths that didn't reveal anything important but didn't break the trust between the two groups either.

"What issues?"

"We were attacked by the Black Faction during the attack of the golems. After the battle we needed to relocate ourselves so it was hard to make contact."

Leo didn't show any emotion.

"Tell me how you find our Archer."

This time Karna spoke.

"My Master and I were on our way here when we saw a tree emerge and we heard the sound of battle."

The voice of the spearman sounded monotone but Leo couldn't sense any falsehood in his words.

"By the time we arrived he was in this state and the enemy Servant was ready to finish him."

"Describe the enemy servant," Leo ordered.

"We only saw him for an instant. He retreated when we arrived and while we only clashed for a second I must commend his abilities."

"Don't dodge the question."

"White hair and tanned skin, wore a red mantle and while he used blades he didn't seem like a Saber-class Servant."

Leo just nodded, no matter how much he tried to detect any sign of deceit he couldn't, so for now he would keep cooperating with them. Still he would remain vigilant. After all they were nothing more than temporary allies.

Robin disappeared as Dan got close to him in order to heal himself.

"Very well. I thank you for your help, just be more careful the next time."

Gene offered him a small bow before the two began to walk towards the exit.

Leo saw them leave and still couldn't help but be suspicious of the white-haired spearman.

* * *

Once the pair of the Red Faction left the castle behind Gene stopped.

"So what do you think?"

"Neither of them should be a threat to me."

"I see. Well I guess everything is going according to plan."

This move had two purposes. One was to fix the trust issue between the two groups and the second was to gauge their Servants.

It had worked well because of Karna's personality: the Servant was unable to lie. Although, it was more that he tried to avoid it so it was impossible to doubt his words. This was the reason Shirou didn't touch Gene before summoning his Servants like with the others, Karna was very perceptive to lies.

"How is the wound that Saber inflicted on you?"

Karna gave his Master a small smile, he had come to know him fairly well and while Karna saw things in a very neutral way he didn't believe his Master was a bad person. He was just a pragmatist who would try his best to eliminate the opposition but still care about his allies.

The two of them weren't friends, Gene wasn't so emotional and their relationship was more of partners aiming for the same goal. Sure he wouldn't deny that sometime his Master got a little excited while working but he had seen worst.

"It's alright, Master."

Gene nodded and lit a cigarette.

"You think the one who came to the aid of that man in red was a member of his group?"

"It's very plausible. But he seemed surprised by the help."

Gene took out the cigarette and blew a ring of smoke.

"True… maybe another one of the groups is trying to join up."

"Very possible."

"Let's inform Shirou about this."

* * *

Back in the castle Shinji finally woke up and found himself in an embarrassing situation. The white-dressed Alice was hugging him while she slept and Rider was looking at him with a tipsy grin while holding a bottle of booze. The black Alice was sleeping in one of the chairs near the bed.

"I must say I'm impressed," Rider said as she took another swig of her drink.

"At least use a cup," Shinji said with a yawn, not realizing what was happening.

"Oh come on!" she said happily

He tried to leave the bed but realized his body was weighed down, and in the moment he saw the little girl hugging him, instead of being embarrassed he tried to push her over.

"Hey! Let go!"

At his struggle Rider just laughed and walked up to him, giving him a pat on the head.

"You did well last night," she said with a genuine smile.

Shinji actually blushed a little as he remembered what happened.

The two had entered the room to find a screaming Alice.

"Stop!" she yelled while grabbing her head and crying. "Make it stop! Mama! Papa! It hurts!"

She continued to scream like that for a couple more seconds before any of those present could react. Everyone else too shocked by this, her black counterpart tried to approach her just for Alice to reject her presence and begin to scream even louder.

"A nightmare…?" Shinji whispered in horror before being corrected.

"No… a panic attack." Rider said.

For her this was a common sight. She was the pirate Francis Drake, the first person who successfully circumnavigated the globe. During her long journeys she had seen many of her men succumb to madness and behave like the girl in front of her. Normally she would just outright kill them in order to put them out of their misery and keep control over the ship. She used fear in order to keep her crew from going insane but in this case it seemed she couldn't do that.

But for once her Master surprised her as he slowly walked to the girl. The boy was afraid, normally he would stay away from her in this current situation but another even greater fear made him move.

It was just a matter of time before the others heard this and came to investigate. If they did he was afraid what could happen. Too many variables sent his body into motion, a desperate maneuver to calm the girl down.

He hugged her and when he did she stopped moving, he began to rub her back while whispering "it's alright," over and over until the girl stopped crying.

He wasn't sure when he fell sleep but maybe Drake had been right, not that he would ever admit it in front of her.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

Shinji didn't look at her as he answered.

"My mom…"

"What?"

"When… when I had nightmares I would go to my mother's bedroom and she would do this until I fell sleep." He really didn't know why he was explaining this, and he expected her to mock him but she never did.

Rider never expected that answer and she decided to remain silent, but for some reason she continued to pat his head and for once he didn't object. He even ignored the little girl hugging him.

* * *

Emiya continue to drag his wounded body through the city. His mind still wondering about the events of a few moments ago and how he was still alive after all that.

He began to remember how his world began to disappear after he literally destroy Robin's forest with a rain of blades. He saw Robin impaled by his swords lying on the ground barely alive. The many trees and branches had manage to help him from being impaled in a vital spot. Yet with that quantity of wounds it was just a matter of time.

Not that he would ever take any chances as he trace Kanshou and Bakuya and ready to put the man in front of him out of his misery.

But he never got to finish as a man with white hair wielding a massive spear suddenly appeared between the two.

Karna look at him with cold eyes and without a word he move his arm so fast that it seemed more like a blur than a movement.

Emiya tried to react but it was too late. By the moment he raise his blades to defend nothing remained of his weapon and he could felt the pain in his chest as blood was spilled in front of him.

This was the difference in power between the two servants, even in full power Karna was someone beyond Emiya abilities.

His brain didn't have time to process what had just happened as he fell to his knees.

"Not bad you survived the first strike." Karna said softly as he raised his spear once again. "Nothing personal."

He manage to look at the spear in front of him descending slowly to end his life and to his surprise he couldn't see anything, he couldn't analyze the spear the man in front of him was using as if that spear didn't exist in history. Only once something like this had happened to him, with the Ea of the King of Heroes.

In the middle of his attack, Karna change the course of his strike to block beams coming at him and his master. Emiya manage to recover in those seconds and take the opportunity to leave.

Back to the present he wonder who was the one who had saved him in that moment.

"Im imagining things…" he said to himself. "…As far as I know they could also be trying to kill me."

He was too tired to realize there was someone watching him from afar.

"No matter what, you haven't changed at all." Counter-Guardian Rin said with a sigh.

It was mere coincidence that she had managed to find him, as for now both she and Cattleya were supposed to watch how the war unfolded. With so much time to kill she wandered, trying to know about the arena her teacher had created.

The idea of forcing human to build this was disgusting to her but she also understood that it needed to be done and her complaint wouldn't change anything at this point.

Still she couldn't deny that seeing him again made her happy. She knew he wouldn't accept her choice so she didn't want to face him right now but still that didn't change her feelings.

"What are you doing sister?" a voice she recognized made her jump in surprise.

"Sa…Sakura?" she said turning back. "What…What are you doing here?"

Cattleya just looked at her.

"Well you aren't the only one who can wander in her free time." She said with a smile. "Well it seems you didn't just wander."

"I… I just help my old Servant." Rin said trying to her blush and failing miserably.

"Is that so?"

"Of course…we will need his help in what is about to come."

Cattleya just laughed at the excuse.

"Come now sister, while I dislike him I know the two of you were close. At least, you were. The Rin of my world…"

Cattleya trailed off, and Rin looked uncomfortable at the failure to save her family. No matter what it would seem, the Tohsaka sisters were never meant to be together.

"Anyway…!" Rin finally said, changing the subject. "We will need all the help we can gather in the future."

Cattleya nodded.

"Antares…?"

"Yeah I said to Zelretch that it would be possible to avoid confrontation but I'm almost sure we would need to fight him."

"So preparations need to be made then."

"Yes and he is not the only thing bothering me."

She had felt it, only once and for a second after she entered this world. The very same dark energy her sister emit when she fought her.

"Sister…?" Cattleya said concerned.

"I'm fine." Rin force a smile on her face that didn't convince her. "Let's go back."

The two began to leave.

"It couldn't be ….right?" Rin thought. "There isn't a tainted Grail in this war.

* * *

Nero was seated in front of a blank canvas while waiting for her Master to wake up. She was an artist and since the same painting kit she used while she was living with her Master was also present she used any of her free time to paint.

She was wearing a red V-neck sweater with black jeans as she had been told that she couldn't walk through the mansion with her (rather revealing) dress as there were kids living there now. So while in the mansion she changed into that.

She had been like that for a while now, she saw how darkness began to cover the city and she wondered how tired her Master could be to sleep so much.

"You really need to know when to stop… Praetor," she said getting up and walking to his side. "You know, I almost wish you didn't have to wake up."

She began to caress his face. "… That way you wouldn't have to fight anymore." Nero leaned in so there was almost no distance between their lips. "You wouldn't have to suffer anymore…"

"But then I wouldn't achieve anything."

In that moment Nero froze and realized her Master was awake.

"How… How much…"

"Just the last part," he said with a yawn. "Can't blame me if you talk too close to my face."

Nero didn't say anything and just took a step back so he could leave the bed. She saw the bandages around the two cuts in his chest and stomach along with the one around his left arm.

"How is your arm?"

"Better than last time. It doesn't hurt so much." He noticed she was rather serious.

"You can move it?" she said, pointing his arm.

He tried to move it but it was futile.

"It seems I can't."

"You really are an idiot," she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, sorry."

"This time a 'sorry' won't cut it."

She was angry and he couldn't really blame her.

"I know. I know I acted stupidly but that was what needed to be done."

"That's not the point you fool!" she finally snapped and grabbed him by his shirtfront. "You said we fight together!"

"Nero…"

"We protect each other!"

He understood why she was so angry. It wasn't because he had been reckless; it was that his actions went against the principles of their relationship. That was how they worked, each considering the other as someone precious they didn't want to lose. So the moment he rejected her help and decided to finish his fight against Kousuke on his own, it was obvious she would get angry later.

He wrapped his good arm around her.

"Sorry."

She rested her cheek lightly against his chest.

"You can depend on me more…"

"I know. I…"

Nero didn't let him finish as she kissed him, even when she was also mad at him she was happy he was awake and safe.

She didn't want it to end but suddenly the door swung open and Ginevra entered, making the two separate.

"Oh my," she said, a little surprised. "Don't mind me. Just continue."

Edward just answered with a small laugh while Nero glared at her.

"I would prefer if you would just leave," she barely keeping herself from yelling.

"Sorry but I need you two downstairs," Ginevra said as she began to leave and giggled. "But don't worry you can come down after you are done."

The pair didn't know what to say until Nero broke the silence.

"I hate her."

"I know…" Edward said while scratching his head and going for a fresh shirt. "Well let's go down."

He slipped it on and extended his good hand to her.

She huffed before taking it.

"I really hate her."

* * *

Atosaki sat on one of the couches of the living room, observing the paint on the ceiling. Many things had happened in the last few days and she didn't know how to face the others. Sure she was happy everyone was alright, but no matter how she put it, it was her fault this happened. The guilt ate away at her slowly.

Lance appeared at her side, but the spearman didn't really know what to say or do to make her feel better. His other self would surely try to ease the mood with small talk and reassure her that everything would be fine, but his current self who was unable to utter a single world didn't know what else to do.

So he put an arm around her and supported her head on his chest.

"La… Lance!" She didn't expect that.

He didn't move and caressed her smooth, dark hair. His embrace was firm, like he was afraid of letting her go.

Suddenly she notice the figures of two kids running down the stairs with smiles on their faces.

"Saki-nee!" Alex and Clare yelled.

The two kids were really happy to see her again. She answered their hugs without parting from Lance and tears began to form.

She heard more steps and saw the remaining members of the group going down the stairs, including Kohaku and Hisui. She expected the others to rebuke her but instead she received something different.

"Welcome back," Edward said with a smile.

Kousuke and Leo agreed with his words, Kage just nodded as Breno sat on the living room couch with a little smile on his face. Kirsche didn't say anything but she didn't seem angry in any way, and as she took a seat Thor materialized and smiled at the girl.

"I … I'm back," Atosaki said, unable to hold back her tears. "Thanks to you all…"

The moment was broken by Ginevra.

"Sorry," she said. "I called you here for a different reason."

Tamamo seem annoyed.

"What do you want?!" she yelled.

Kousuke wondered about her bad mood.

"Tamamo, what's wrong?" he said in a whisper.

"Goshujin-sama…" she whined like a kid. "That woman interrupted our precious time together."

A finger pointed out Ginevra.

"Yeah that woman had impeccable timing," Nero said, gritting her teeth.

The two Servants looked at each other understanding the similar anger and redirecting it at Ginevra.

"How come the only way to make these two get along is having a common foe?" Edward thought out loud.

"I wonder that myself," Kousuke said with a tired sigh.

Ginevra ignored the glares she was receiving from the Emperor and the Kitsune and went on.

"I want all of you to meet someone."

The atmosphere turned rather serious as a projection of Medea appeared at the middle of the living room.

"Good evening, members of the Sixth Faction," she said with a smile. "I'm here with an offer."

* * *

xxx Hiiii editor just making a quick comment, I hope you are enjoying this story as well as the new Fate episodes coming out! I really needed somewhere to vent my excitement. :'D Look forward to much more wonderful writing as the plot here deepens. And yeah, share your thoughts, I wanna hear 'em all! ^w^


	29. Chapter 28 Vote of Confidence

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Cattleya Velvet - Magister Fay.

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 28: Vote of Confidence

As she viewed the surprise in the eyes in the members of the Sixth Faction, Medea couldn't help but remember how she had agreed to do this.

The night before she found herself flying toward that smoking forest; a mix of fear and curiosity drove her actions. She had seen a sphinx being summoned and saw what seemed to be the reincarnations of mythical beasts fighting each other. True, like Gilgamesh had implied, for their time things like this weren't so rare, but that was the reason behind her concern.

Those were powers that shouldn't have been present in the current day and age.

"If you get any closer I can't assure your safety." A voice made her stop her flight.

She turned to find Ginevra levitating a few meters behind her, Medea began to analyze her position and she was exactly midway to that forest, or at least what remained of it.

Medea didn't have any ill feelings toward that girl who seemed unexpectedly familiar to her. But she had learned to not trust others so easily.

"Will you stop me?"

Ginevra's response came as a small laugh.

"I guess my words could be understood that way," she said, raising her hands in surrender. "But believe me when I say I won't."

Ginevra was telling the truth, no matter what she wouldn't fight her. Medea was another version of her mother, the woman who had saved her from a very cruel and dark destiny.

"Then what do you mean?"

"Oh, I was just worried that you would end up trapped in the crossfire."

Medea had to agree, she didn't know how the fight between the groups was going.

"I can agree that going there would be unwise," she said and with Ginevra descended to the roof of one of the nearby buildings.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ginevra du Lac, the supervisor of the Sixth Faction."

Medea looked at her, wary of any menace.

"So I'm going to assume that one of the groups fighting there is yours."

"Correct."

"Shouldn't you be watching over them?"

"I should, those kids are good at keeping me entertained," Ginevra said with a smile. "They are unpredictable and sometimes they even go beyond my expectations."

The last part was spoken while she pointed to the pillar of smoke.

Medea's eyes widened in shock after processing Ginevra's words.

"So you know the one who created such hell?"

"You could say that."

Ginevra knew her mother; she knew what she wanted from the Grail and that if there were another way for her to obtain it she wouldn't mind. A second chance, that was the only wish Medea hoped for, to live an existence free from her past and the treachery of the gods.

She wouldn't like to stand in the way of that, because she knew her mother deserved it yet even if she couldn't fight her, she couldn't intervene if another member of her faction engaged her and managed to defeat her.

"Then why stop me?" Medea said, breaking the silence. "My death would benefit your group."

"True… at least in normal circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"Continue to look at the fight," Ginevra said simply.

Medea wondered what she meant before doing as being told.

She looked inside the castle and the many battles that continued. In matter of seconds, as she continued to stare at the battle she understood what Ginevra meant.

"Other groups are allying themselves," she finally said, biting her lower lip.

"Precisely… This battle is evolving into a second stage. This isn't just a fight between groups like in the beginning."

It made sense. Instead of facing five groups, the factions began to merge to reduce the number of opponents, and their alliances would last until two groups remained.

"So are you asking for an alliance?" she asked warily. "A little intrusive for a Supervisor."

"I'm not forcing anything, just offering them a chance. They could still reject it."

"Why would you do this behind their backs?"

Ginevra just smiled.

"Well I don't have to tell you that much."

"Fair enough..."

Ginevra understood the risk of putting two teams together.

"What's in it for me?"

And the moment she heard that Ginevra knew that she was about to agree.

"You will have a better chance at surviving and when it comes to the point that we need to fight, you would be ready for any member of my team."

"I could betray you all."

"True, but that's their problem. There is no gain without risk after all. In any case, it would be their fault for letting their mysteries be unlocked by you."

Ginevra wasn't kidding, whether this alliance became a strength or a weakness depended entirely on them.

Mostly because they couldn't cooperate with any of the remaining groups. They were fighting against Black and Zero. Kousuke and the Hellhound had beaten the supervisor of the Red one and Leo with Atosaki had destroyed the tree from the White Faction.

"Very well, I accept."

Ginevra smiled to herself.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

* * *

The seven Masters looked at the sorceress before them, Kirsche recognizing her almost immediately but choosing not to say anything.

That was what she meant by 'more important business' she thought, not really understanding how something like this could be considered anything besides a waste of her time.

Still, besides Kirsche, no one recognized her, making all the Servants stay alert.

"What do you want?" Nero broke the silence.

"Is she real?" Breno asked.

"No…" Tamamo said while observing the Servant. "…She is nothing more than a mere illusion."

"Can't blame me for taking precautions, I just entered an enemy's base."

"You haven't answered my question, sorceress." Nero continued to glare at her.

Her fight with the Caster of her war had left her with a grudge against such Servants. This was one of the reasons that she didn't get along with Tamamo.

"As I said, I came with an offering. I want cooperation between our groups."

The eyes of the seven Masters widened as they had not been expecting that.

"Why?" Leo asked. He really didn't trust her. He wasn't sure about the reason, though.

"You've seen it yourself: other groups are beginning to ally. You managed to beat two of them but you must be well aware that you need help."

Leo shook his head.

"Not that. Why us?" He looked at Medea and after seeing she wouldn't answer he continued. "You said it yourself. Other groups are joining, so you could talk to them and three factions together should be stronger."

Caster was surprised by the deduction of the blond-haired boy and she had to agree with Ginevra that they were really interesting kids.

"It's just a matter of compatibility," she said with a sigh "I believe that the members of my group could have a better collaboration with you than with others."

Leo continued to look at her for a while trying to search for any lies. He couldn't find deceit, but he wasn't convinced. He understood people who knew how to lie very well.

"You expect an answer right now?" Edward continued.

"Not really. I can give you time to think about it." She looked at him. "Are you the leader of this group?"

Her question, that in a way was very valid, immediately changed the atmosphere of the room. That was something that none of the members had thought about, or they just didn't care to think about it. In any case it was a question that didn't have an answer, as none of them had decided on a leader. That was the principal reason they had been working on their own besides this time.

Medea and Ginevra felt the change and wondered what would happen next.

If the Hellhound agreed with her, it could be seen as a way of him suddenly seizing control and no one would approve of it.

On the other hand if he said he wasn't, the question would remain and there could be problems inside the group.

How will you manage this, Hellhound, Ginevra thought with a smile, hoping he was not going to disappoint.

Edward sighed.

"No, I'm not," he said, waving his good hand in denial. "Something like leading others is something that doesn't suit me."

Medea nodded and prepared the next question that was supposed to be expected before Edward interrupted her.

"The leader is that guy," he said, pointing at Kousuke.

Kousuke was surprised by his words, just like the rest. Even Kirsche couldn't hide her surprise, and on her end Ginevra smiled.

"Is… is that so?" Medea said after recovering from the surprise.

Kousuke looked at Edward for a few seconds before nodding.

"Yes. I'm Kousuke Yagami, the leader of the Sixth Faction."

No one objected, truth to be told they couldn't find any reason to.

"I see. Very well, I have stated my offer. Shall I will wait for your answer?"

"Yes," Kousuke said, walking up to her. "By tomorrow night we will have an answer."

"If that's the case then the two factions will meet in this place…"

Medea told them the meeting point and disappeared without leaving a trace, as if she hadn't been there at all.

"I don't trust her," Leo said, breaking the silence.

"You trust anyone here?" Breno said casually.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You can say anything you want, but in truth there is no trust between us. For what other reason would we be keeping the identities of our Servants secret…?"

No one spoke. Breno then turned towards Edward.

"Smart choice not saying you are the leader, Hellhound. Had you agreed with her I would have burned you to ashes on the spot."

Edward looked at him with serious eyes.

"You are welcome to try, Breno." His eyes turned red. "You succeeding, however, will be a different story."

Breno stood up.

Atosaki could feel the tension rising.

"Please calm down!" she cried.

The air barely changed, as those two never got along since they first met. But an icy voice froze the will of the magi.

"Don't do anything stupid, Breno," Kirsche said, not even looking at them. "Even in his current state Hellhound won't lose against you."

Breno began to glare at her. "What… what did you say?"

"I just stated clear facts. I don't see any point in a fight where the outcome is already determined."

Edward's eyes turned back to normal.

"I think we are getting off topic." He stood up. "You are right Breno, there are trust issues between us."

He looked at Nero and she knew what he wanted of her. But in any case he was giving her a choice, she was free to reveal her identity, he would never force her to do something she didn't want to.

"You are quite dense, Praetor," Nero said with a smile "I only care about your opinion. If anyone besides you hates me I don't care in the least."

She walked to the center of the living room and raised her blade.

"I don't have any reason to hide my name. I am the greatest Emperor of the Roman Empire! The Flower of Olympia! I am Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus!"

Edward sighed at this.

"I know I told you to do this, but you don't need to yell."

Ginevra couldn't help but laugh. "Really a pair of very interesting fools."

Tamamo looked at Nero as she walked to her side.

"I won't let you take all the glory, useless Saber," she said with a grin. "I am the unique facet of the Goddess of the Sun, Tamamo-no-Mae."

At her declaration Odysseus laughed while he joined them in the center of the room.

"Then dear ladies let me introduce myself." He bowed in front of them. "I am the schemer who managed to bring down the impenetrable Trojan wall. I am the Greek Hero Odysseus."

In that moment Ramses materialized.

"Stupid peons!" He didn't join them but remained seated next to Breno. "You dare to take the spotlight from the Pharaoh of the Sun, from the great Ramses III! Learn your place."

This had become a matter of pride between the Servants. To not speak their names would mean they were ashamed about who they were, and that was something none of them were.

Lance let go of Atosaki and walked up to the rest along with her.

"He is the ancient Irish hero," she said, "the Hound of Culann: Cú Chulainn."

All the Masters looked at Kirsche as Thor materialized at her side. She didn't care about joining this but it was a matter of pride.

"The strongest of the Aesir, the one who wields thunder, Thor Odinson is my Servant."

Kage just watched this silently; he couldn't say anything, with his Servant having been slain in the last battle.

"I guess we are done with introductions," Odysseus said with relief.

"No," Tamamo said, making Kage stop. "Balthasar Gerard, first assassin to use a gun for assassinations. He was the Assassin of our group."

The rest looked at her with widened eyes, never expecting her to know his name.

"Tamamo…" Kousuke said, walking up to her.

Tamamo grinned and hugged him.

"Don't worry my dear master, I only love you."

Ginevra was enjoying this but decided it was time to get serious. She clapped her hands, making all eyes come back to her.

"Well now that all of you are—"

"Not so fast Ginevra," Kousuke cut her off. "You haven't told us about the Servant next to you."

Ginevra looked at them and decide to humor them. Besides, if they had already noticed, there was no point in keeping her hidden.

Ruler appeared in front of them.

"My name is Jeanne d'Arc. It's nice to meet you all," she said with a smile.

"With all that clear, I guess whether or not you accept her offer is up to you, Yagami-san."

And with that she bid goodnight to those present and left along with Ruler.

"Sorry for putting you in this situation, Kousuke," Edward apologized.

Kousuke sighed. "This much is alright. I owe you one either way. But are you really expecting me to lead?"

"Of course, no one is against it so why not?" he said with smile.

Kousuke began to look around and saw Breno, Leo and Kage leaving already. They didn't have anything against Kousuke and two of them didn't care about the person in charge as long as his decisions made sense, namely Kage and Leo. Breno was satisfied with the leader not being the Hellhound so there was almost no opposition.

"Still, why choose me?"

"You are better cut out for the job and I know you have a cool head when it matters, and you have the morals to make the best choice."

Kousuke cursed under his breath. After that there was no way he could say no.

"You really are a selfish guy," Kousuke said in defeat.

Edward put his good hand on his shoulder.

"Of course I am. I'm a Hellhound after all."

"About that, that isn't your real name, is it?"

"No, it's more of a title that was given to me over time."

"What about your family name?"

"I have one, but I don't use it. I still have a family waiting for me though."

He saw Kousuke was rather confused by his words so he continued.

"A name doesn't have anything to do with family. Or would you treat the people who are your family any different even if the last names weren't the same?"

"What? Of course not…!"

"It's the same for me," he said as he began to leave and Nero followed. "Good luck, Leader-san."

Tamamo looked at this with a smile before she felt a tug on one of the sleeves of her kimono.

"Hey Onee-chan…" She saw it was Alex "…so you have a different name?"

She felt a little bad for the kid, she had said to call her Caster, but at this point she couldn't hide her name.

"Yes, you can call me Tamamo."

Alex tried to pronounce her name correctly.

"Ta… mama…?"

Hearing that, a weird switch activated inside of her and her cheeks flushed and many images began to fill her head.

She suddenly lifted the kid and began to spin while holding him in the air.

"You are so cute!"

Alex was smiling, not really understanding what was happening.

"Hey, leave my brother alone!" Clare exclaimed.

But Tamamo didn't pay her any attention and ran to her Master.

"Look Goshujin-sama! Our first son…!"

The other three Masters stopped moving and turned to gawk at Kousuke, whose mind seemed gone, too shocked by her statement. He recovered quickly.

"Tamamo…" he tried to reason with her. "What… just what?"

"He called me mama, Kousuke!" Tamamo exclaimed happily.

"Don't believe you have won! You fox!" Nero exclaimed from upstairs.

"Ara, ara… jealous, lousy emperor?"

A bloody aura began to surround Nero as she grabbed her Master.

"I will show you! Let's go Praetor!" And she began to drag him upstairs.

"What the hell are you talking about Nero?! What are going to do?"

Tamamo watched them leave with a grin on her face.

Kousuke was about to burst her bubble when he saw Atosaki approach her with cheeks blushing.

"Congratulations Tamamo-san!" she said as she left along with Lance and Clare, who still seemed annoyed about leaving her brother with Tamamo.

Kirsche saw this and while she could do something, she decided it wasn't worth it.

"So noisy..." she said as she disappeared through her shadows.

Kousuke saw her leave and decide he was too tired to argue with whatever Tamamo was about to say. But there was something else in his mind.

"Hey Tamamo…" he said with a dark voice that made Tamamo place Alex down. "…when I lost control… did… did I hurt you?"

Tamamo looked at him with worry and remained silent for a second. She didn't know what to say.

"I remember traces of that time," he said. "I saw you on your knees begging me to come back but…"

He couldn't continue, as he was afraid that Edward had lied to him when he said he didn't hurt anyone beside him.

Tamamo got closer and hugged him.

"Since we first met, you have never laid a finger on me in that way."

He rested his head on her bosom and he could feel something slightly cold trickle on the back of his head. Seeing him like that pained her so much, she blamed herself for not noticing something like that ahead of time and that instead of her, someone else had to stop him.

"Never think any differently. You didn't hurt me and even if you did, my feelings for you would never change." Her tears continued to fall as she caressed the back of his head.

He was afraid, he was afraid that he could lose control, that he would hurt her or even worse. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he hurt her.

"You won't lose control." she reassured him as if knowing what he was thinking. "And if you do there would be people to avoid you make a mistake."

Tamamo remembered how Hellhound had stopped her Master with a crimson chain and decided to fight him. She never felt any desire to kill, and after learning the identity of his Servant she had to admit that just like she and Kousuke they were a pair made for each other.

Only someone as selfish and stubborn as that emperor would try to save an oni rather than having him slain.

Once again Tamamo felt a pull on one of her sleeves.

"Are you two alright? Why are you crying?"

Kousuke smiled and broke off from hug to lift Alex over his shoulders.

"Everything is alright," he said as the three began to leave the living room. He had many things to think about either way.

* * *

Reika stood in the door as she watched Kariya rolling over on his bed, trying to endure the pain. Her feelings about watching this scene weren't any different than when she saw Jack slay all those sleeping people. While she didn't find any pleasure in the suffering of that man, she didn't feel any sadness.

Finally Kariya began to calm down. This had become quite a routine for the two since she and Jack picked him up in that alley. She wasn't sure why she did that, but she was used to being pushed along by the flow of things.

"I told already, you don't need to keep that black-armored guy guarding the building."

But he would never listen. He would just accept the pain of using Lancelot as a guard dog. This was a bad decision fueled by the worms degrading his brain, making it harder to think things through.

Still it amazed her how well Kariya got along with Jack and how easily the little girl seemed to accept him.

She walked to the bed of the apartment they were living in and sat at his side. Jack entered the room, her body covered in blood after killing more people in order to sustain herself.

Hearing her steps Kariya turned and with his blurry vision he managed to identify her petite figure. He couldn't help but smile a little. Jack on her end couldn't quite understand the man in front of her, and while she liked the way he treated she was confused about how he was able to endure so much pain.

And for some reason the pain of the man in front of her hurt her heart. He patted her on the head and then began to caress her face. As with Reika, she liked Kariya. Unlike the many people she had met, he didn't fear her. He just saw a small girl that needed some attention.

He noticed there was red on her.

"Jack?" he wondered aloud. "Why are you covered in blood?"

Jack didn't answer and though Kariya knew the girl in front of him wasn't human he couldn't help but worry about her. She reminded him of Sakura, that girl he would try his utmost best to try to save. No matter the price or the suffering he would endure it if it meant she could smile once again.

"Sorry," Jack said as she grabbed his hand.

He accepted this just like that, he didn't feel like asking more. No matter how weird the situation became he could never conceive the idea that this girl was a cold-blooded murderer.

"Don't worry…" he said with a smile.

"Don't use it anymore. I will stand watch," Jack said with a worried tone.

Kariya's eyes widened.

"But…"

At this Reika stopped him, putting a finger to his lips.

"Have a little faith in this kid, would ya?"

Kariya nodded and Jack left but still felt his gaze. He was worried about her. Even when his body was in such a state he was worried about her and that made her happy and sad at the same time. She wondered why he cared at all.

Once she left, Reika took a small cloth and began to wipe his face.

"You really know how to handle children, don't you?"

"I… I guess."

Reika knew he wasn't aware that Jack left every night to kill innocent people and it was better that way. She wasn't sure if the way he treated her would change if he knew, and she wouldn't risk it. She cared about the little girl.

She had told Reika before what she really wanted. The only wish that girl had in her heart, she wanted a family.

"Don't make that girl sad."

Kariya just smiled at her, he found himself really comfortable in her presence. She didn't speak to him with fear and she didn't pity him. She talked with him as if he were a regular person and that was something he hadn't experienced for some time.

He was well aware of his aspect and was surprised by this, but what came as a bigger surprise was that his wish to kill Tokiomi became something secondary. Right now he wanted to make sure both Jack and Reika remained safe.

This was because in his mind he saw them as replacements for Sakura and Aoi. He just didn't realize it, and that was what brought his change.

* * *

In the castle of the Faction of Zero Kiritsugu was rather busy with damage control. While he had agreed on an alliance with the Black Faction he didn't approve of suddenly providing support when the Black Faction hadn't given them all the information they had on the Masters who were supposed to fight. They hadn't even let them take part in the planning.

That was why he didn't like working with prideful magi. They tended to look down on others when it seemed they had the upper hand. Still, they had some uses for him. Observing the battle he had managed to obtain even better information of that sixth group besides some of the secrets of his faction's so-called allies.

It had been through this that he developed ways to counter most of the abilities of the members of the Sixth Faction, Kirsche being the only exception. For him she was a mystery and that made her dangerous.

The only one who had fought her had been Tokiomi, and he didn't even make her break a sweat. She was on a different level than anyone he had ever seen. He kind of expected that after Tokiomi claimed that he had seen the face of God.

"We have a real problem here if her claims of being a sorceress are true," he finally said with a sigh.

"Emiya-san…" Kirei entered the room with his blank expression.

Kiritsugu acknowledged his presence with a nod.

"Darnic-dono has called for a meeting to discuss the events of last night."

Kiritsugu smirked to himself, the head of the Yggdmillennia had been forced to ask for real help and cooperation because of a bunch of kids.

He got up and followed Kirei out of the room. The two walked to the living room where the remaining members of both groups were waiting, save for one.

"Where are Rider and his Master?" he asked aloud.

* * *

At that very moment a chariot was flying through the starry sky.

"Hey Rider, what are we doing here?" Waver asked his Servant.

"I like to ride when there are things I want to think through."

Waver looked at him, not really understanding what he meant. They continued to fly as they passed through some parts of the city that were still devastated because of the war and Waver couldn't help but feel bad for the people who had been dragged into it all.

"Hey Rider, is there any meaning in this?"

He expected another hit like the one he had given Kayneth, but Iskandar just sighed.

"Waver, I need you to understand something basic about war." He look at him completely serious. "There is no right or wrong in war. A war is a battle of wills when both sides believe they are correct and fight to protect their beliefs."

"That… that is selfish."

"Yes, which is why I think a victory without bloodshed is the best."

"I don't think that is possible in this case."

Iskandar couldn't say he was overthinking thing. He was well aware that by the end of this war there probably wouldn't be much of a city left standing. But it was too early to tell Waver this, after all there was still a little hope for this place.

"Everything is going out of control."

"My thoughts exactly, King of Conquerors." A voice suddenly made him stop and he saw Antares walking next to him.

My chariot moves at the speed of lighting, Iskandar thought, yet he didn't only get near me without my notice, but could keep up with it. Who was this person?

Antares raised his hands in a gesture of surrender with an honest smile. "Please, I don't seek any trouble."

Normally Iskandar would have welcomed the knight but the aura surrounding Antares was such that it made him uncomfortable. His instincts were telling him to doubt the man in front of him.

Either way he looked at the crimson knight and calmed the bulls that seemed to share his feelings.

"So who are you and what business could you have with me?"

Antares give him a small bow.

"My name is Antares, just like Aldebaran I'm a servant of Alaya," he said with a smile that rather than calming the ones present made them even more uncomfortable.

The fakeness of his smile was so obvious that it couldn't be seen as anything more than a sign of manners, if anything else.

"As for my business." He began to walk around the chariot. "Just like you I want to put some order between the groups. But any interference from our part could be seen in a wrong way, so I would support any idea you could have."

At his words Iskandar couldn't help but laugh.

"What makes you believe I have an idea?"

"Well if anyone here is capable of bringing order, it would be Alexander the Great."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"I know that, but if you need anything I offer my unconditional help."

And with those words he disappeared.

Iskandar turn to Waver, who seemed affected by the sudden encounter. He didn't find it weird, but if possible he would like to avoid meeting that man again. But he knew that it wasn't very likely.

"He is different from Aldebaran."

"Yeah, he is the first person I find hard to get along with."

"You actually have an idea to try to bring some order?"

"It's not an idea, per se. It's more like a gathering."

"Still worth a shot?"

At his words Iskandar regained his usual big smile as he pat him in the back. To Waver it was more like a hard smack but the feeling was what count.

"That's the spirit! Look carefully, kid. I will show you an event that won't happen twice and will be engraved in the sands of time!"

* * *

The eight masters of the Black and Zero Factions were together. Darnic had two homunculus maids behind him tending to his wounds.

Kirei was really impressed. He could see the mark of a fist on the blue-haired magus and wondered which of them had been the one to beat him to such a degree.

"So Darnic, what do you need?" The Magus Killer was the first to break the silence.

Darnic grit his teeth. What he was about to ask was humiliating but at the same time necessary.

"You are well aware that we were defeated this previous night." Celenike decide to speak on his behalf. "Considering this, till we recover we would like your help in case of another enemy attack."

Kiritsugu saw it coming. They didn't have any other choice. If he wasn't working with them he would have taken the opportunity to kill them all. He could do it even now but Kayneth would oppose. They healed his arms and gave him a chance to attain revenge.

While Kiritsugu seems Kayneth as a ticking bomb and wouldn't mind if he died but it was too early to begin a fight inside their own group.

He lit a smoke and begin to think his answer in his mind an alliance was nothing but a deal were both parts put something on the table. If one of the parts didn't give them anything then there was no point for the cooperation in the first place.

"Very well," he said at last. "We will deploy Assassin along with some familiars to keep watch over your territory."

Celenike's eyes widened at his fast response.

"So what do you want in return?"

Kiritsugu smiled, it was obvious they weren't so gullible to believe they would help them just for the sake of it. As he had said, this was just a give-and-take relationship. Only so much was expected.

He could try to play the good man and not ask anything in return, but that would make it too forced and unbelievable and lead the Yggdmillennia to doubt them.

"You have a way for your homunculi to provide mana for your Servants. We would like the same for ours."

Celenike was left speechless. He was asking something rather cheap. Even if it was a power up, they could revoke it at any time and get the connection back to themselves at any time.

"Emiya-san!" Tokiomi was surprised by his words.

Kiritsugu just raised a hand, asking him to remain silent.

"Is that okay with you?" Celenike wanted to make sure.

"Yes."

Celenike turned towards Darnic, seeking his approval. The magus nodded.

"Very well. We shall comply."

That was the end of the talk and moments later they had gone back to their castle.

"What are you planning, Emiya?" Kayneth wondered.

"Kayneth, Tokiomi. Given time would the two of you realize how the system they are using works and be able to take control of it?"

At his words Kayneth flashed him an evil smile while Tokiomi remained calm.

"Yes I think that is very possible."

"Then I'm counting on you."

With that Kiritsugu decided it was enough for the night.

As he left he didn't notice Kirei smiling behind him.

"You really are the man I expected you to be."

* * *

Another day passed and the members of the Sixth Faction once again joined together in the living room.

"So you have reached a decision, Kousuke?" Edward asked.

"Yeah…" He then looked at Kirsche. "Kirsche, if you could."

"Alright, it would be in bad taste if we didn't all arrive at the same time, she answered, a little annoyed. "By the way I'm also charging this favor to you, Hellhound."

"Why me…?"

After Kousuke told her the coordinates, she teleported them through her shadow, the seven Masters passing through and emerging before a Western-style mansion. Some of them recognized it almost immediately.

The door opened, revealing Medea and the rest of the Masters of her group. In that moment the Servants of the Sixth Faction appeared behind their Masters.

They recognized each other almost immediately as the Servants of Blue also appeared.

"It's good to see you, little bro," Edward said with a smirk.

"You..." Shirou looked at him rather seriously.

"Arturia..." Nero greeted.

"Emperor..."

"It's nice to see you again, Rin-san!" Atosaki said happily.

Rin just smiled at her while Emiya and Lance glared at each other. But it wasn't a glare of hostility, but mostly one of rivalry between the two.

"So the Enforcer was also part of her group," Leo said, looking at Bazett.

"I didn't expect you either."

"You know…" Lancer said while shaking Odysseus's hand, "…even while allied with each other, we can still continue our fight."

"By all means, you should try to go easy on me," Odysseus answered with a smirk.

Ilya looked at Kirsche and while raising the edges of her skirt she made a small curtsy.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Illyasviel von Einzbern."

To everyone's surprise Kirsche returned her gesture with a bow.

"The pleasure is mine. I am Kirsche von Einzbern."

The two demigods continued to look at each other in silence as their Masters greeted each other.

Breno looked at Sakura, but the girl didn't meet his eyes, so he didn't register her as being of any importance. Ramses on his side felt bothered by Medusa's gaze.

"What are looking at, peon?"

Medusa didn't answer and simply turned to Sakura.

Kage and Kuzuki exchanged glances with cold eyes and no words needed to be exchanged between them. Both of them could smell the blood on the other and recognized the emptiness they had acquired through the path they had chosen.

Even so, they still shook each other's hands, not as a sign of friendship but as if saying they were ready if the other decided to try anything.

The two Casters stood in front of each other, thinking something similar but neither decided to say anything. Mostly because Medea's interest wasn't in the Kitsune, but in her Master's answer.

"We accept." Those were the only words that escaped his lips, only for the moment to spoil when Kirsche noted Zouken's presence. Her knuckles cracked audibly as she flexed them, cat-like.

"Schweinficker…" she snarled with a finger pointed in his direction. "Gewarnt werden... Ich werde keine hausfriedensbruch zu tolerieren."

* * *

So the alliances had been and made and we have the chance to use Zouken as a punching bag so i think everybody wins. All is coming together for the next arc. So please Review!


	30. Chapter 29 Fire and Steel

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche Von Einzbern.

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Cattleya Velvet - Magister Fay.

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 29 : Fire and Steel

"Schweinficker…" Kirsche snarled with a finger pointed in his direction. "…gewarnt werden… Ich werde keine hausfriedensbruch zu tolerieren."

Zouken understood the real meaning behind her words and couldn't help but admit that coming here at this precise time had been a very wrong move.

It all went back to the night of his battle with Shirou Kotomine.

After being nailed to the floor by the priest's Black Keys, he saw him come closer and put his left hand on his chest.

Zouken could see that he was smiling, really enjoying this moment.

"If I can't kill your flesh, I will just destroy that empty void that you call a soul."

After hearing his words Zouken realized what he was about to do.

"Wai…"

Shirou didn't let him finish as he broke his jaw with a vicious backhand. At this point words wouldn't change anything but in his eyes that old worm didn't deserve the chance to beg for his life.

While he couldn't completely understand the theory about his existence, he compared his existence to that of a parasite. He was right to a point, Zouken needed to consume human flesh in order for his worms to have enough prana and keep him bound to the world.

"I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and heal. None will escape me. None will escape my sight."

Shirou began to speak and he saw how Zouken started trying to escape out of fear and desperation.

"Be crushed.

I welcome those who have grown old and those who have lost.

Devote yourself to me, learn from me, and obey me."

A golden light surrounded his hand and he heard Zouken yell in pain.

"Rest… do not forget song, do not forget prayer, and do not forget me.

I am light and relieve you of all your burdens."

Zouken could feel his soul being ripped apart and it made him remember a feeling he had forgotten through time, fear: the fear of actual death.

"Do not pretend. Retribution for forgiveness, betrayal for trust, despair for hope, darkness for light, dark death for the living."

At this point there was nothing that Zouken could do but still he sought to survive. As his mind was about to break, the image of a woman with long silver hair wearing a white dress flashed before his eyes. Yet this vision only brought him more suffering as his screams began to resound through his broken throat.

"Relief is in my hands. I will add oil to your sins and leave a mark.

Eternal life is given through death.

— Ask for forgiveness here. I, the incarnation, will swear.

— Kyrie eleison".

Shirou finally finished and he saw how the body of Zouken began to turn back into the worms that composed him.

The Baptism Rite, the sole magical miracle that was permitted to be learned inside the church. It was a very simple ritual, a ten count type, which is only effective after being spoken. It couldn't harm physical bodies but in this case against a spiritual being like Matou Zouken it was worked well.

Dispersing the spiritual body of the old man, this was one of the abilities he had obtained while traveling after obtaining a body from that failed ritual. During his travels he had found a wounded Executor and while his first thought was to kill him, after seeing he was a rather young boy like the ones who had once followed him he allowed him to live. The name of that boy was Risei Kotomine.

In normal conditions something like this should be able to kill Zouken, but in this case it couldn't. The reason was that his real self was inside a worm next to Sakura's heart. Yet this was enough to stop at the moment. Convinced about his victory Shirou didn't notice some of the worms had escaped.

These worms were nothing more than familiars being controlled by the worm inside Sakura. At this point Zouken had already given up his old body. His soul was so degraded that even a newly manufactured body wouldn't last too long. He needed a real body, namely Sakura's body.

But it was still too early for that, and the girl still had some hope in the form of Shirou Emiya. The worms which survived the landing began to crawl, searching for materials for a new body. He had done this before and he hadn't stayed alive the last three hundred years doing nothing.

Devouring humans in order to regenerate himself was something he did in the past in order to withstand the many people who tried to end his life.

Still, so few of his worms remained that at this point a regular human should have been able to repel him, but the fact that the people of the city were put to sleep allowed him a chance to survive.

By the time his worms finished the job, a whole day had passed and he wasn't aware of how many people he had devoured, and after that he was still at his weakest. The priest's ritual had managed to exorcise a part of his soul.

He wouldn't last long, not only that he had lost Assassin. The best he could do was to try to return to the mansion he had left days prior in order to seek refuge. They wouldn't trust him but that was okay, he would take advantage of Sakura's fear and use it to convince the others.

The Emiya boy and the Tohsaka girl would do it for her, he thought.

He waited for night, he expected that by that time only Sakura would remain and that would make thing easier. He didn't know how wrong he actually was.

* * *

After hearing Kirsche, all present turned to where she was looking and while some of them couldn't recognize the figure, two of them were able to.

Emiya recognized Zouken using his reinforced eyes, but before he could react, the other one who recognized the old man had already moved to attack.

No words could escape Zouken's lips as a crimson spectral arm grabbed his body with such force that if he had actual bones they would have all shattered.

The glow of the arm revealed Zouken to the others. Both groups were surprised by this, though for two different reasons.

The Blue Faction's reason was because they didn't expect him to come back, and the Sixth's reason was because of a mix of disgust and hate towards the magus.

"You bastard…!" Edward said as he put more strength in his grip.

He was getting ready to burn him when he heard and felt a heavy clicking sound behind him, and he turned only to find himself looking down the barrel of a Thompson Contender in Kirsche's hand. He was a little surprised since he never expected this from her.

"He belongs to the Einzberns, Hellhound," she said, more as a warning than anything else.

Had it been anyone else he would have complied but not with him, never with him.

"Sorry Kirsche, but I also have business with him."

"I don't recall asking for permission, Hellhound."

The two glared at each other. On the side of the other group Sakura was trembling with fear since she couldn't believe what they were doing. In her mind Zouken was someone no one could defy. The image of her uncle being swallowed by those worms when she was a kid still haunted her to this day.

Atosaki grew increasingly concerned. This was the first time she had seen Edward actually get angry.

Nero seemed to know her thoughts and decided to speak.

"He is a special case, Atosaki," she said while observing how the Hellhound and the Princess continue their discussion. "He is one of the few people he hates."

Atosaki was surprised by her voice and turned to her.

"Why?" She didn't know why she asked but something told her to do it.

Nero looked really sad, remembering something.

"Because that old man took someone from him," she said as her expression changed to one of rage. "That is the only thing he will never forgive."

The girl could feel the sadness of her voice and wondered what could have happened.

"N…Nero-san?"

But the Emperor didn't say anything more and Atosaki went back to watching two Masters of her group face off.

"My family's dues aside, that bastard owes me. With interest…!"

Edward gritted his teeth at those words.

"I know, Sakura," he said in a whisper so the others couldn't hear. "The Sakura I knew showed me everything."

Kirsche's eyes widened for a second. She had not expected that response.

"Make him suffer but don't kill him," she finally said as she holstered her weapon. "Leave the rest to me."

He nodded. This was the best compromise he could hope for.

At the same time Kousuke who was next to Medea turned to look at her.

"Is that man a member of your group?"

Medea didn't have to think up an answer, she didn't like that man and she knew Assassin wasn't there. If he were he would have already tried something already. Without his Servant that man didn't matter to her and it seemed like some of her new allies didn't like him either.

So there was no other answer.

"He is not."

Those words sealed Zouken's fate, because he was ultimately deemed an enemy and Edward was free to do whatever he wanted.

"Don't interfere," he said to the rest of his group.

"Wait!" Sakura yelled. "Please! No one can defy Grandfather!"

At her words Kirsche just laughed.

"My other self, it is most unfortunate how blinded you are."

Shirou ran to her side.

"Sakura, calm down!"

"Senpai…"

She was cut off by the cries of pain coming from Zouken.

"Little bro, Sakura, don't worry. I will judge this man," Edward said as his eyes turned bright red.

This time Zouken laughed.

"You…" he spat some blood. "…you think… you have the right to judge me?"

Edward just looked at him while he went on.

"I can see it… I can see the sins and the blood you carry…" Zouken began to laugh once again. "…like me you have consumed many people. What gives you the right to judge me?!"

Edward was completely unaffected by his words.

"I'm nothing like you," he said with such honesty that the old magus couldn't deny it. "The souls inside of me were entrusted to me by people I care about."

Zouken was suddenly thrown into the sky and he could only see fire.

The spectral arm was now holding a gigantic sword covered in flames.

"Beautiful…" Medea said, recognizing those flames.

In the next second Zouken felt how the blade cut his body in two, a pain very similar to the one he had felt when Antares cut him in half.

He saw his lower part fall to the ground as he began to cough blood and felt his insides burn.

"E…even… so… you won't… obtain redemption…"

Edward smiled at him.

"I know. At the end I will burn in hell. But you are going first, Zouken…!"

The flames surrounding the blade began to wrap around Zouken as the spectral hand disappeared and Edward turned to walk away. When opened his good hand the flames transformed into a sphere and began to rise into the sky.

Breno couldn't believe what he was seeing. The quality of those flames was something that went beyond what he knew. How Edward controlled them was something that shouldn't be possible in theory.

"He…" he began, not wanting to admit what was happening in front of him.

"He rules over fire," Ginevra finished as she suddenly appeared with a smile.

The basic principle of fire magic stated that fire couldn't be controlled, but it could be contained and then redirected. That was why his family used barriers to work with it. But before him was a person whose power broke that principle.

"Don't be absurd! Something like… that…"

"But it is happening, isn't it?" She began to walk forward to get a better view.

When Edward felt the sphere was at a sufficient distance he turned once more.

"I don't seek redemption. I don't seek to be forgiven. My only wish is to give her the happiness this world denied her in life."

He closed his hand into a fist as the sphere of fire detonated in a blazing explosion.

"For that I am the Hound who guards the Emperor."

He heard the sound of the burning corpse of Zouken fall to the ground. He really wanted to kill him but in his current state he couldn't. He passed the duty on to Kirsche.

"He's all yours," Edward said with a sigh. "Have fun." This has been good to release some stress.

Kirsche smiled as she towered over a smoldering Zouken on the floor, shadows flaring to summon homunculi with special equipment.

"I am going to enjoy melting your soul down for all it's worth."

Edward walked back to Nero. Yet he never expected that she would hug him and try to suffocate him with her breasts.

"Really, how come you only say things like that in moments like this," she said with a pout.

"I said it before and I will say it again: whipped." Leo said with a sigh.

Medea coughed to get everyone's attention.

"I guess this takes care of any problems and we will work together from now on."

On her end Sakura couldn't believe what she just saw, the monster she had feared all this time had been defeated. She allowed herself a sigh of relief before the words of the Hellhound resounded in her head as if she had heard them before.

Her head began to hurt and she began to lose her balance, just for Shirou to catch her.

"Is she alright?" Kousuke wondered.

Medusa appeared and took her from Shirou and the two returned to the house.

She didn't notice how Edward, who had managed to break free from Nero's grasp, was watching them from the distance.

"Well how about we get to know everyone better," Ginevra suggested.

At that moment all the members of her group thought the same thing.

She was planning something.

"Sorry, but I will be going back to the mansion," Kirsche said as her homunculi finished dismembering Zouken, collecting worms and burnt samples and stowing them for transit

Illya walked up to her.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked with a smile.

Kirsche smiled back at her.

"You are and always will be welcome to join me."

Illya turned to Shirou.

"Onii-chan!" she yelled. "I will go with her for a while."

"Hey Illya that is…"

"Don't bother, little bro," Edward said, putting a hand on his shoulder "I don't think Kirsche would listen and we are allies either way."

Shirou was about to complain but he saw them disappear through Kirsche's shadow while Illya waved her hands at him.

* * *

Cattleya and Counter-Guardian Rin saw all through their familiars.

"So these are the Masters Zelretch got together." Cattleya said, and she had to admit they showed promise.

"And they allied with the Masters of the Fifth Holy Grail war." Rin said more focused on her younger self.

Cattleya realized this and tried to change the topic.

"Still I didn't know Shirou Emiya had a brother."

At this Rin seemed to come back to reality.

"Wait. He shouldn't have a brother."

"But he call him that, even more he said he was his older brother."

Rin couldn't say anything in response.

"There are many possibilities inside the Kaleidoscope both of us are living proof of that. Don't worry too much about the details."

Rin expression turned to one of worry. She had felt something weird in his something similar to what she felt from Dark Sakura but at the same time different. The fact that he hid his left arm didn't help.

"I… I just hope that something doesn't go wrong."

"Don't worry so…" Cattleya assured her. "…we'll win. Zelretch is already gathering my allies, and between my True Magic and your completed evolution, our countermeasures will soon be ready."

Rin sighed trying to calm down, there shouldn't be a problem after all she had just seen Zouken being reduced to a burned corpse and being taken by another counterpart of her sister.

"I know." She needed to keep a cool head it was still too early for the two of them to intervene.

The two went back to watching and saw how the members of the two groups finish entering the mansion, the last one to enter was Ginevra who look at the direction of the familiar and murmur something with a smile.

"Was that another Medea?" Cattleya asked a little surprised.

"Really what I needed… another one of her." Rin said massaging the temples of her head.

"Don't remind me…" Cattleya groaned. "…thankfully Reiroukan isn't here. Those two were a real pain in the neck."

Rin once again couldn't say anything as the first time she saw her she was nothing more than a corpse being moved by Zouken worms. But Zelretch had shown her some worlds where she had been a real trouble.

"Still do you know what she murmured?"

A vein popped on Rin forehead.

"She said 'I hope you have enjoyed the show.'"

Cattleya needed to try very hard to not laugh. She deduced that she was the Supervisor Zelretch had employed for them, enough skill to detect the location of the familiar and be sure it wasn't from an enemy.

She began to walk away from the hotel room they had been living the past two days.

"Really Zelretch knows how to pick them I can wait to know them better."

* * *

Back in the mansion the remaining members of both groups, except for Sakura who had been taken back to her room by Medusa, were in the living room discussing the current situation.

After introducing each other, they decided to lay down some conditions about their alliance.

The first, they didn't need to reveal the identity of their Servants unless it was necessary.

They would cooperate until their groups were the last remaining ones and would try to have a fair final fight.

Lastly all information about the other factions was to be shared between the two groups.

Everyone looked at Kousuke after he finished explaining the conditions to the members of Blue.

"I know I nominated him for the job," Edward mumbled, "but I didn't expect him to so good."

Kousuke didn't seem to hear him.

At that moment Atosaki touched his bandaged arm.

"Edward-san, are you alright?" She seemed concerned.

"Sorry, did I scare you?"

"It's not that." She thought for a second about the best way to answer him. "It's just… that was the first time I saw you so angry."

Edward couldn't blame her.

"I'm alright," he said with a smile as he put his good hand atop her hand. "Don't worry about me."

Atosaki was unconvinced, but she didn't know what else to say. She decided to trust him, and he hadn't given her any reason not to. She returned her attention to Kousuke.

"Is that alright with all of you?" he asked, tiredly.

Rin walked up to him. Normally Medea would be the best suited to organize this group but as she had some trust issues with some members of her group—namely Rin and Shirou—she decided to remain as a counselor, leaving Rin as their representative.

"We agree," she said in all seriousness. "Those are very reasonable conditions. But I would like to ask all of you something."

"What is it, Rin?"

"Who are you people?"

They understood what she was asking. During the few encounters they had, the members of the sixth faction had recognized them, yet they didn't know who they were. Rin had her suspicious but she wanted to be sure.

Kousuke wondered for a moment whether he should talk or not. The others didn't say anything so he assumed it was up to him.

"We are Masters from the many parallel worlds that exist out there."

"Then do you know who our Servants are?"

"Just some of them, as there seem to be some changes from the wars of our worlds," he said, not wanting to create any suspicion between them. "Besides, I think you can also recognize some of our Servants easily."

Rin looked at him a little surprised.

"You were expecting this question, weren't you?"

Kousuke laughed awkwardly "I thought it would pop eventually."

Tamamo smirked behind him.

"I wouldn't expect any less from my Master," she said happily.

Shirou walked to where his so-called brother was sitting. Edward saw him coming and just smiled.

"Let me guess little bro, you want to have a long talk."

Shirou looked at him. "Why do you kill that old man?"

Edward sighed. "First, he isn't dead. Second, you can't kill what isn't alive."

"What do you mean?"

"That body was nothing but worms. He has already given up his humanity."

Shirou remembered how when Antares cut him down he saw the remnants of burning worms which formed the lower part of his body.

"Shirou, let me tell you something." Edward looked at his brother as his eyes turned red. He observed for a couple of seconds before he continued. "The way you are right now, you won't be able to protect anything."

Shirou's eyes widened. He couldn't feel any deception or mockery from his words. He really believed that and for some reason it bothered him.

But before he could answer, Edward began to walk past him, signaling for him to follow.

"I guess we will need to have that talk after all." He turned towards Nero. "Please let me do this on my own."

She nodded as Arturia walked to her.

"You aren't going to follow them?" Nero asked her.

"If I considered your Master an enemy I would. But I believe he is actually trying to help him."

Nero smiled to herself.

"Of course he is. He considers him family."

Nero began to walk away but then stopped.

"Arturia." She called her without turning around. "No matter how friendly our Masters become, as the one who created that hell ten years ago and change their fate, I will never forgive you."

And with that she disappeared. Arturia's eyes widened from the shock. She remembered the last order Kiritsugu gave her and she began to realize many things: she been trying not to think too much about that because she was afraid to discover an ugly truth.

She wouldn't be able to deny her fault in what Shirou had lost.

Leaning on a wall, she whispered, "… I… I need to protect him even more, then."

* * *

In the mansion of the White Faction, specifically the living room, Shinji began to feel weird being followed by the two identical girls.

"Hey, hey Onii-chan! Let's play!" White Alice yelled happily.

"Yeah, Onii-chan!" Black Alice continued.

"Stop calling me that!"

Since the accident two nights ago, white Alice had gotten attached to him and began to follow him anywhere he went and demanded that he play with her.

He didn't want this, but when he tried to request Leo's help, he got a simple response.

'I don't have any more tasks for you. So why not humor them and you take a break?' he said with a smile.

Shinji came back to reality as the twins began to pull his arms harder. At this moment Francis Drake appeared with a smirk.

"Come on 'Onii-chan' don't let them down."

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Just a little," she admitted.

Suddenly the two girls stopped pulling on Shinji and they started trailing a man in black instead.

"Mister Julius!" they exclaimed happily.

Julius observed them for a second before brushing them off.

"Don't bother me," he said coldly.

"But Mister Julius!" White Alice pulled his coat, making him stop.

He didn't hate the little girls. In fact he really liked them. He envied how they could remain so happy and keep smiling even in their world. Because no matter how much Leo wanted to put it, their world was a world without any hope or future: a dead world. That was why they needed to win and change its future.

But it was because of that he didn't want them near him. He was a cold-blooded murderer who had been able to kill the only person who ever showed him love.

He still remembered her last words.

"Take care of Leo."

Only for those words he continued to live, he continued to kill in order to fulfill the last wish of that woman. For that only he would sink into the deepest abyss and taint his hands beyond redemption.

He pulled his coat from Alice's hands, making her lose her balance and fall backwards. He saw how tears began to form in her eyes and while he kept a blank expression his heart hurt.

Julius began to walk to the front door. He didn't want to see her pained expression.

"You know," Drake said, "I have done many horrible things while being alive. But not once have I hurt a child."

Julius stopped for a second while gritting his teeth and balled his hands into fists before he left the mansion.

Drake turned to see Shinji trying to calm Alice down. She smiled to herself; her Master was maturing.

Even when you act all angry, she thought, I can see you like having her around, kid.

She observed the scene for a few more minutes before she felt someone coming and had her gun appear, pointing it at the door.

Seconds later the doors shattered and Iskandar entered with his chariot. Drake saw this and grabbed the kids and pulled them out of harm's way.

"Are you an idiot?!" she shouted.

Iskandar stopped his chariot and after realizing what had happened turned to her.

"Sorry…" The King of Conquerors apologized. "I got a little too excited."

Leo arrived a few moments later with Rani and Dan next to him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dan yelled.

On his part Leo remained calm but he was observing not only the King but the boy next to him, who appeared to be his Master.

"State your business," Gawain ordered.

"Calm down mister knight, I just came here to offer an invitation," Iskandar said with his usual grin.

"An invitation?"

Iskandar looked at the people present before directing his gaze towards Leo. He pointed at him.

"I came to offer you and the rest of the Masters of your faction an invitation to a gathering."

Leo couldn't avoid feeling curious about his words.

"What kind of gathering?"

"All the factions are going to gather in one place. I think it would be good to know the ones we are going to fight in order to determine who is most worthy of being the winner."

To the surprise of Gawain and the others, Leo smiled. This was something his entire being couldn't reject, the opportunity to prove his worthiness as a king.

"I assure you we will be there."

Iskandar nodded and prepared to leave but stopped.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," he said, turning his head. "I am the King of Conquerors, Iskandar!"

Leo's smile became even bigger as before him was not only a great Heroic Spirit but a great king. Still in his eyes he was nothing more than another wall he needed to overcome to become a perfect king.

"Nice to meet you, King of Conquerors. My name is Leonardo Bistario Harwey."

With that Iskandar left, ignoring his Master's pleas to slow down a little.

Leo, who keep smiling, went back to his room Dan did the same a few seconds later but Rani remained there looking at the spot the Conqueror had been a few moments ago and wondered about his words.

"Will I be finally be able to meet the person my Master told me to search for?" she said in a whisper.

* * *

Julius saw the chariot leave the mansion and rise into the sky and decided to continue his business. It wasn't completely necessary since he didn't need to do anything for the time being. The other groups seemed quite calm.

Yet he was worried, in order to keep his promise he needed to make sure Leo remained victorious and become the perfect king.

So anyone that could be too dangerous and taint that image needed to disappear. He needed to kill those Masters he had seen a few days ago. He didn't know why, but something inside of him told him to keep Leo from meeting the people of that faction.

As he continued to move through the shadows of the city, the sound of a shotgun being fired made him duck down and search for an enemy. His enemy didn't even try to hide his presence because an attack from the shadows didn't match the personality of his Servant.

Assassin materialized with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't see her but the bloodlust and violence he could sense were such that it alone was enough to get him excited.

Mordred appeared in front of him with her helmet on, hiding the maniacal grin she was wearing.

Orders weren't needed at this point as the two Servants rushed at each other with such power that the moment his fist and her blade clashed a crater appeared around them because of the pressure.

"Who is that guy?" A voice made Julius turn to find Kairi standing in front of him. "I never saw her like that since she fought Gawain."

Julius didn't pay too much attention to his words as he prepared to counter attack. Sensing this, Kairi jumped.

"Tch."

He heard Julius click his tongue at the very moment he felt pain radiating from his cheek. He touched the skin and found a deep cut in it. That didn't make any sense—he wasn't in range and there was nothing in Julius' hands.

"I don't have time to lose on you," Julius threatened. "Get out of my way."

"Sorry, no can do," Kairi answered as he reloaded his shotgun.

* * *

Back at the house of the Blue Faction, Atosaki stood in front of Bazett with a serious expression.

"Miss Bazett, might I be able to speak with you Servant?"

She was about to say no but Lancer appeared right next to her, wanting to know why the girl wanted to talk with him. The moment he appeared she stepped closer.

"Please!" She bowed her head a little. "Please teach me how to use runes properly!"

Lancer was really surprised by her words, he laughed a little.

"A very interesting girl, aren't ya."

It was actually very possible for him to teach her rune magic. After all, he was also suited for the Caster class. Normally he would agree right away but instead he looked at Bazett.

"I don't mind, but instead of me why don't you let her teach you," he finally said, pointing at the Enforcer.

Bazett's eyes widened.

"Are you crazy Lancer?!"

"It's not a big deal, is it? Maybe it could help your social skills."

"My social skill are fine, thank you very much!" Bazett said with a small blush on her face.

"No, they aren't. You need to loosen up and live a little, Master."

Atosaki saw this and couldn't help but feel a little out of place.

"U-um, excuse me…"

Lancer looked back at her and lifted her chin with his left hand, much to Bazett's dismay.

"What… what are you doing Lancer?!"

"Well if you aren't going to teach her, I guess I will." He stared directly at Atosaki's eyes. "Don't worry, I will treat—"

He didn't get to finish as Lance punched him squarely in the face. He wrapped his good arm around Atosaki in a protective way.

Lancer looked at his copy for a while before smiling.

"It seems I won't be able to teach her after all."

"A…another Cú Chulainn?" Bazett was speechless.

She hadn't noticed him when they met outside the house, having been too focused on Leo so this came as a surprise.

"Yes, this is my Lancer," said Atosaki. "I call him Lance."

"Then why don't ask him to teach you?"

"He, um… is a special sort of Servant, and he can't really speak. I could honestly only learn so much that way. I didn't know any magic before meeting him either."

"I understand your situation better now," Bazett said while nodding.

"So will you teach me?" Atosaki said, face hopeful.

"No," she said with a serious voice. "We are still enemies and I can't help an enemy become stronger."

Atosaki felt her heart sink, but she only smiled apologetically. "Oh, in that case, sorry for taking up your time."

"Well as I said, I will have to do it." Lancer spoke while getting closer to Atosaki.

Lance and Bazett reacted at the same time, both putting some distance between the two.

"Alright, alright! I will do it!" Bazett finally said.

"Th-thank you!" Atosaki bowed to Bazett and then saw how Lancer winked at her.

"…Still," he began, "why do want to improve so much that you are willing to ask for help from a complete stranger?"

Atosaki lowered her head for a moment. Many images came to her mind, her friends getting hurt because of her. Lance getting hurt because of her.

"I… I want to become stronger!" she said, raising her head. "I want to help them. I want to protect them just as they have protected me!"

She didn't want to feel so useless ever again, so they could depend on her a little more. Because she wanted all of them to survive this.

Medea watched from afar and went to where Ginevra was drinking a cup of wine Rin had found along with the many other kinds of liqueurs in the basement.

"I know why you wanted an alliance, Ginevra."

Ginevra smiled at her.

"Amuse me."

"You wanted them to use us to grow. You saw they were lacking something and wanted us to help them."

"To a point that is true. But don't misunderstand, they are improving, each of the fights those kids have fought up until now have made them grow."

"Then what is the point of this?"

"I want to see how much more these kids can grow. How far they can actually make it."

"And you are using us for that? Anyone would say you are quite fond of them."

"Please. They are my source of entertainment. It would be boring if they broke so fast."

"I agree. A show that ends fast can't be enjoyed." Medea said with a smile as the two sorcerers drank together.

* * *

Edward had Shirou follow him to the kitchen and there the two sons of Kiritsugu began to talk about many different topics, the things they liked to do, their history and much more.

Shirou told him about how he was raised, how he entered the war of his world and met a different version of himself there. How he won and even managed to fight on par with the King of Heroes.

Edward on his side told him how he had been raised by Kiritsugu and a very strict nun. How he had seen the worlds as a freelancer while hiding some gory details and how he managed to reunite Illya with her father.

He didn't tell him about his war since the Sakura here seemed normal and he didn't want to create any unnecessary concern over her.

They didn't know why but the talk was very natural, mostly because they knew the same people and had similar opinions about them. No one would suspect they had a fight to the death a couple of days earlier.

"Really, never play cards with the old man," Edward said, completely angry. "I don't know how but he cheats every time."

"I know, he was very childish in that aspect," Shirou answered, reminiscing about it.

"Tell me about it. When we first played he didn't even explain the rules, he just made his move and then said he had won!"

"At least you didn't have Fuji-nee at your side crying because she lost dessert to him over a bet."

"Not so much. But I have Illya and Sella!" He began to think about it. "For some reason Liz never lost."

The two laughed for a while.

But then Edward looked at him rather serious.

"Shirou, you really don't remember anything before that fire?"

Shirou remained silent for a while.

"No," he finally answered.

"That is why I don't think you will be able to protect anything." Edward looked away. "You don't remember the pain of losing something important to you."

"What?! Of course I know that pain!"

"If you did, you wouldn't accept Kiritsugu's ideals."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"The path of a hero is one of sacrifice. The hero would sacrifice his life to protect others, but the only one left unsaved is going to be him," Edward said. "Shirou, the path of a man who loses everything precious to him, everyone he ever loved, that can't be right."

"Then…" Shirou looked at him with fiery eyes. "What should I do?! Let others suffer because in favor of myself?"

"No." That word made Shirou's rage disappear. "I doubt you will change your ways at this point. So I want you to create your own path. Your own ideal."

Shirou didn't know what to say.

"Don't try to be like Kiritsugu. Don't just follow his ideal, use it a basis and decide your own path." Edward put a hand on his head. "No father wants their son to be exactly like them. They want them to be better."

Shirou stared at his brother with widened eyes. After their last discussion Edward had decided that a passive approach would be better. He noticed his brother was as stubborn as him so a fight wouldn't help at all.

"Sorry, but I can't accept your words," Shirou finally said. "Even if you say it like that I don't think trying to be a Hero of Justice is wrong."

Edward sighed in exasperation

"You really are stubborn, aren't ya?"

"Eh? Really?"

"I give up."

Edward opened the window and jumped to the garden surrounding the house. Shirou followed him.

"It seems you won't understand till I show you," he said as he created a blade made of flames. "Come on, Shirou."

"Are you serious?"

"Don't worry about me. You won't be able to touch me either way."

"What is the point of this?"

"I will show you how weak-willed you actually are."

Shirou traced his twin blades and dashed at him.

* * *

In one of the rooms of the mansion of the Sixth Faction, Kirsche couldn't believe what she had uncovered just barely after starting the field analysis.

Cracks spread against a wall as a gloved fist struck it.

"Hey, are you alright?" Illya asked her.

Truth to be told she had enjoyed seeing how the homunculi at Kirsche's command had treated Zouken not as a person but as a lab rat. But in Illya's opinion, that was more than what he deserved.

Yet she noticed that though Kirsche looked reservedly excited at first, her expression eventually morphed into confusion, then to worry, and finally to anger.

"It can't be!"

Kirsche didn't bother to hide her rage. She had barely started on her field analysis, only to be thwarted so soon.

"That old worm!" she ground out through her teeth.

"What happened?"

"That bastard's soul is missing."

At the same time in Sakura's room a voice whispered inside the head of the sleeping girl.

"Wake up, my granddaughter. We have a job to do."


	31. Chapter 30 The Shadow

Chapter 30: Shadow

Another night, another nightmare, but instead of images of a different reality, this nightmare came in the form of Zouken's voice.

Sakura woke up in a black space, there was nothing there. No light, no sound, it was a space completely filled with darkness.

"Sa… ku…ra." His voice broke the silence.

But it wasn't his regular voice—the old worm knew better. Taking advantage of his apparent death he would appear in Sakura's mind as nothing more than the voice of a corpse, as a voice she wanted to forget, a voice that would break her mind and drive her into madness.

With this he made sure she wouldn't talk about this with anyone. He needed to remain hidden for the time being.

"No… n… no!" Sakura yelled, recognizing his voice, a scream trying to erase the fact that his voice resounded before her.

"Why…?"

"No…" She covered her ears but inside this space such an act didn't matter. "…You are dead!"

Seeing this Zouken smiled to himself. Even after being burned in front of her the chain he had placed around her neck was still there. She continued to fear him and because of that fear she would obey him.

"Yes… I am…"

Such words, instead of making Sakura feel relieved, scared her even more, because this reinforced the idea that she would never be free, that even in death he would return and have power over her.

"You… let me… die."

"There was nothing I could have done!"

A grim laugh was the only answer.

"You… did… To… hide your… secrets…"

Sakura couldn't deny it, when she saw Edward burn him she felt relieved. Because she didn't only fear him, she feared that Shirou knew the truth about her.

"But he knows."

A third voice interrupted both Zouken and Sakura, a darker and monotone voice that made even the old magus shiver.

"Who…who are you?" Sakura asked.

A black figure appeared in front of her and an evil smile spread on its face.

"The Hellhound knows your secrets," the figure said, ignoring the words of the girl.

Sakura's eyes widened as the words of the figure in front of her began to sink inside her brain.

"What…what should I do?"

"Kill him. Kill them all."

Sakura didn't react in any way at those words as she would usually.

"But …Senpai… he would never approve of it."

"It's to protect him. So no one takes him away from you, so he never leaves you."

Zouken saw this and while it had been his original idea to tell her the same, in order to use her to break the newly formed alliance between the two groups, he didn't know how true the words of the black figure were.

How he hated the Hellhound for burning him, and that Einzbern girl who believed she could turn him into a lab rat.

* * *

Back to the real world, in the garden of the mansion a crimson blade clashed with a pair of identical white and black blades.

"You need to stop being so reckless," Edward said as he easily stopped Shirou's last attack. "It leaves you quite open."

Before he had the opportunity to retort, Shirou was sent back by a kick to his stomach. He rolled to the ground trying to endure the pain as his fake's blades disappeared.

"Ready to give up, little bro?"

Shirou looked at his so-called brother as he struggled to stand once again. They had been going at each other for a while but just as Edward said before, he had yet to touch him.

"Never!"

"Yelling while getting up? Don't try to sound cool, little bro."

Once again Shirou ran at him while he traced Kanshou and Bakuya. He tried to focus on everything he had acquired from watching Heroic Spirit Emiya. Such a style that allowed him to fight in a decent way had been brushed aside as his opponent swung his blade with such timing that when Shirou raise Kanshou to attack, Edward's crimson blade was already about to meet him.

They exchanged blows, and even without the use of one arm Edward still moved fast.

"That's right, little bro. I can't use my left arm so try to attack from there."

His voice make Shirou a little angry, because while he was serious it seemed as if Edward was just playing. It was completely different from their first fight, in that moment he believed they were even.

He threw his blades at him in a circular track as he traced new ones just to repeat the action. Edward saw them come from the sky and his eyes turned crimson, the blades rotating around him and reducing the space he could move in.

That made it harder to dodge and that wasn't all; he saw Shirou coming at him. He smiled as he made his blade disappear just to replace it with chains.

The bright red chains began to whirl around him as if forming a shield and blocked the incoming swords, yet the chain also broke, leaving their owner at Shirou's mercy.

But as Shirou was about to reach him he saw the remnants of the chain began to reform into the crimson blade Edward had been holding earlier.

And once again their blades met.

A crack: the sound of a sword being broken made Shirou stop as the tip of Kanshou landed behind him.

This was just a difference in battle experience and training. While traveling Edward had fought many different kinds of people, from magi, Executors, even soldiers. In pure skill he was superior.

Shirou didn't have time to process any of this. He felt the tip of a blade pointed at his throat.

"You understand now, little bro?" Edward looked at him seriously.

Shirou didn't answer.

"Hey, let me ask you something Shirou." He didn't lower his blade. "Let's imagine I have an innocent person captured and I order you to kill yourself to free her."

Shirou's eyes widened, the situation sounded kind of familiar to him. Yes, it was like when he returned home and found Medea with Taiga in her grasp, ready to kill her if he didn't become her ally.

"Would you do it?" Edward finished as he continued to look at him and wait for his answer.

"I would." He replied almost immediately.

This was how it had always been, if he could save the life of another person he didn't care if he had to sacrifice his life, it didn't matter if it made no sense at all.

Edward sighed as his blade disappeared and he punched Shirou in the face, making him fall to the ground.

"You really are an idiot, aren't ya?" His eyes turned back to normal. "Shirou, even if you don't remember your previous life, you still remember the fire, right?"

"I…"

Images began to come back to his mind, the screaming and the death. The horrible scene was such that it made him feel sick.

"Shirou, both of us should have died in that moment."

Shirou looked down.

"I know that… That is why…"

Edward cut him off. "Shirou… People like us don't have the right to choose when we die."

Shirou was left speechless.

"We survived because we left others to die. Because of us, others suffered and cried over the loss of their loved ones and yet here we are." Edward looked at the starry sky. "We are the worst. Beings that shouldn't exist and would be better off if we had just died back then."

Shirou wanted to say that he was wrong, that it wasn't like that but he couldn't. Because he knew that what he was saying was right, even if he didn't want to accept it.

"But even so…" As he began to speak again Shirou looked up. "…There are fools that care about us. People who would cry if we died, people who want us to be happy."

Edward began to remember the last favor that man in black had asked of him and the promise he had exchanged with that girl with white hair. Until he fulfilled it, he couldn't die.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Yeah… you're right."

Arturia watched how the Hellhound helped Shirou stand up and while Nero's words resounded in her mind she allowed a little smile seeing how those two actually looked like brothers.

It made her remember her childhood when she would train with Sir Kay, her stepbrother, and while knowing that she didn't manage to beat him in an actual duel, no matter how much stronger she got, made her a little mad, it was a memory she was very fond of.

"I though you wouldn't follow them." Nero's voice made her turn.

"I didn't, and I was just looking through the window when they appeared."

Nero gave her a look saying she didn't believe her, but Arturia acted as if she didn't notice.

"I told you," Nero finally said, "he considers Shirou family and he would never hurt family."

"I agree, but Emperor, do you agree with the way he lives?"

She had heard everything and while she thought his presence could help Shirou she also saw he was just as twisted. Choosing not to answer right away she simply looked at her Master through the window.

"I do," Nero finally said with a smile.

Arturia expression turned into one of confusion.

"Is that so?"

"I don't care about his reason. He has the will to live while enduring any suffering and carrying his sins on his back. I found that will rather beautiful and charming," she answered with a small blush.

"As I thought… I can't understand what you are thinking."

"Of course you can't. Someone like you could never underst…"

She never got to finish as both Servants felt a dark and ominous aura that made them stop completely.

They weren't the only ones either, everyone in the mansion felt the same, yet while the Masters felt something that evoked a feeling of repulsion in them, for the Servants it was something different.

Their very instincts were telling them to run, to get away from there if they wanted to continue to live. This came as a surprise to many of them, as it created a feeling they were used to, but in a different way. Fear, complete fear that almost made their bodies move against their will.

Nero, Tamamo and Emiya recognized this feeling. They had encountered it before and the same thought passed through their minds.

No… Not her.

In front of the two sons of Kiritsugu the space began to distort itself and a pool of darkness opened before them. A being without limbs or a face, a being that both of them could only describe as a 'Shadow' emerged from that black space.

That presence numbed Shirou's senses to the point he almost believed everything was just an illusion because he was too tried from the spar. But as his vision became blurry and it became harder to breathe, a scream of pain brought his senses back to normal.

He saw Edward on his knees as his eyes and hair began to turn red and his left arm began to turn into its claw form, breaking the bandages and forcing itself past its limits.

In this moment Hellhound shouldn't be able to use it, but the arm itself moved as a creature reacting against a natural enemy. Because even if Avenger was gone, the instinct and hate towards this Shadow was still engraved in it. Because of a simple reason, it didn't want to go back where it belonged and in order to avoid that, it reacted.

The two found themselves paralyzed, their minds yelling at them to move but their bodies were unable to comply.

The Shadow remained still as if watching them for a couple of seconds before the crimson arm of the Hellhound finished forming. Like it was seeing an old foe the Shadow took action and black tentacles flew at them.

* * *

In the highest place of the castle of the Faction of Zero, Saber Alter stood looking at the moon as she felt a pulse of energy on the other side of the city. That pulse only lasted less than a second and was rather confusing, but she recognized it and while her expression remained blank as ever something had changed.

"So you have awakened," she said to no one as she began to descend. "My master."

The words of the black swordswoman went unheard and lost themselves in the dark night.

* * *

Vlad entered Darnic's room with a grim expression, making the magus flinch in fear.

"Leave us alone," Vlad ordered the maids and they complied.

The two remained silent until the door closed behind the maids.

"What could I do to please you, my lord?" Darnic asked.

"Enough flattery," Vlad said, walking up to him. "I just came to inform you of a decision I have made."

"What is it, my lord?" Darnic spoke with caution since the mood the count presented was rather uncommon. He had always tried to keep a calm demeanor, but not now.

"I have decided to seal my Noble Phantasm, Legend of Dracula."

Darnic's eyes widened at the words of his Servant, as he couldn't conceive them as anything more than a joke.

"My lord…?"

On his end Vlad didn't understand the reason for Darnic's confusion. This was something he should have decided a long time ago but after tasting the power once, it became hard to avoid it. But he realized it in the last battle, that it wasn't his real power.

That Noble Phantasm was the materialization of everything he wanted to change about himself in history. He could remember how his sanity was lost and he began to turn into what he hated the most, a mindless monster who sought only blood.

And he couldn't allow himself to fall into that, because if he did, what was the point of his wish, the point of his fight?

But on his end Darnic couldn't comprehend any of those reasons. He only saw a great ability that could help them overcome their enemies. He wasn't picky about methods if he was sure it would bring results.

"But why my lord?!"

"Because I don't want to become a real monster like the people of this time think I am."

The idea of someone throwing away power for reasons like honor or respect was something he couldn't accept.

"Please reconsider it my lord, at least in case of emergencies."

Vlad looked at him with an expression full of hate, how he dare question him without taking his reasons into consideration.

How could he ask this from him even after witnessing what he could become?

"You don't get it, Darnic," he finally said, calming down, and he shook his head. "I refuse to use that power ever again, if it's my destiny to fall then so be it. But let it be as a human! Never as a monster!"

Darnic gritted his teeth in anger. He couldn't accept such petty reasons for that, but as a good manipulator he needed to do so, at least for now. After all he was sure that when it was needed he would use it either way.

Yet that small hope proved that he didn't know or understand the real character of Vlad Tepes.

"Yes, my lord."

Vlad left the room and began to walk through the hallways trying to get as far from Darnic as he could.

"I am going to assume it didn't go well." A calm voice made him stop.

Vlad realize Chiron was in front of him and nodded.

"He doesn't understand," the count admitted with some venom in his voice. "A monster can't control a monster which has no loyalty and the worst is once you become one there is no turning back."

* * *

Shirou found himself lying on the ground. He could barely see what was in front of him; his memories were hazy. The last thing he remembered was standing next to his brother before 'that' appeared. He tried to stand but he couldn't move any of his limbs.

As he tried to understand what had just happened the numbness of his body began to disappear, just to be replaced by pain. His chest was burning and he still couldn't understand what had happened.

The only thing he could distinguish were small red lights moving in front of him.

"Crimson Inferno!" He heard someone scream.

The scorching heat caressed his face and his mind began to clear.

One blow, that was all it took for that Shadow to beat him. The tentacle moved at an amazing speed and with such precision that neither of them could even think of dodging. Shirou reacted by pure instinct and traced his blades to withstand the impact head on.

It was a foolish idea, as if cutting paper the tentacle broke his blades and impacted him in the chest, breaking a few of his ribs and sending him flying. That action didn't make sense to the red-haired magus.

After that the Shadow continued to attack the Hellhound, tentacles moving with the agility of a whip and the strength of a spear, a mere graze from one of them seemed capable of destroying the flesh of any regular person.

Edward on his side was rather relieved that the Shadow wasn't paying his little brother any attention, but this made it more obvious to him who was behind this.

Still the speed and precision that thing was using to attack was something out of this world. There was no predictable pattern and no logic in its attacks. It was just a barrage of power trying to exterminate its target.

It hadn't been even ten seconds and he had already dodged a dozen attacks, using his flames at high speed and his spectral arm to block. He shouldn't be able to do this in his state. That Shadow was something he wouldn't be able to beat, yet he survived because of experience.

The speed and power hadn't change from the one he fought in his world yet he couldn't understand how it was possible for it to be here.

"Crimson Inferno!" he yelled again as he tried to fight back.

Lurid flames engulfed the Shadow. It seemed to react but only for a second as the flames vanished, being sucked in like a vacuum by the void around it.

The counterattack came almost instantly, by the time he realized it he had been hit, his body had already crashed into the outer wall of the mansion.

Edward felt his bones crack and the taste of blood coated his tongue. He saw the tentacle coming at him again before it stopped. Something impacted the back of the Shadow and it turned to see a barely-standing Shirou as he traced his swords.

"I-idiot…"

The Shadow attacked, reacting to the new threat. A rain of blades stabbed it but just like the flames thrown at it a few moments ago they didn't hurt it and they disappear seconds later as if they had never even been there.

The tentacles came at Shirou as he continued to shoot traced blades. He tried to move but that didn't diminish the speed of the black whips. Breaking the blades they made their way towards Shirou.

After they broke through the last blade standing it its way the only sound that remained was the one of blood being spilled.

* * *

"Shirou!" Illya yelled as she felt her chest tighten. She couldn't shake the bad feeling she had.

"Illya?" Kirsche asked in concern.

"Something is happening in the mansion," she said, trying to calm down. "I don't know what but I have a bad feeling."

Kirsche listened to her intently and began to wonder about her words but then suddenly everything began to make sense.

"That bastard set us up!" Kirsche raged.

She did not only hate being treated like a fool but it was worse if the one who did it was that worm. She opened a portal with her shadow as she extended her hand to Illya.

"Let's go."

Illya nodded as the two disappeared into the shadow.

* * *

Shirou looked completely amazed at the image in front of him. He should have been dead or at least mortally wounded.

Before him was blood, but the blood didn't belong to him. In front of him was his so-called brother with a tentacle buried in his stomach.

"Really…" he said with a smirk as he grabbed the tentacle with his crimson claw so it didn't bury any deeper into his stomach. "…being the older sibling is hard…"

As the tentacle came to Shirou, Edward freed himself from the remnants of the wall he had impacted and just like before, using his flames as rockets he moved at the speed of a bullet and intercepted the attack.

The speed of the flight allowed his crimson claw to act as a blade, cutting the tip of the whip before reaching the tentacle. This should be impossible to touch it, as just like with the flames and blades it shouldn't have any effect on that being. That was because it was a being able to convert any kind of matter into pure prana. This applied to both magic and weaponry, making it imperious to all conventional attacks.

But his arm was an exception, because both were products of the curse of Angra Mainyu, the being that had corrupted the Grail in most of the worlds.

And darkness could not consume itself, but just as he managed to protect Shirou the tentacle found a new target in him and at that distance he was unable to dodge.

With each second that passed he could feel that thing begin to suck his energy, as expected. That was how it worked, just like with his attack it was converting his flesh and blood into prana. This was the reason that fragment was afraid, that part of Avenger didn't want to go back to the whole.

He saw more tentacles coming at him, ready to finish him off.

"Damn…"

Yet the attack didn't reach him as purple beams impacted the shadow and while they didn't have any effect they managed to throw its aim.

Medea stood in the air looking at the creature with disgust, but more surprise as well that her last attack hadn't done anything.

"Just what is that abomination?"

Taking the chance Edward created a spectral arm and cut the tentacle still buried in his stomach. Once separated the tentacle pulled back, reacting to the new presences drawing near.

He began to look around as the members of the Blue and Sixth Faction began to surround the Shadow.

"Praetor!"

"Shirou!"

The two brothers saw their Servants running to them.

"What… took you so long?" he said with a faint smile as he the wound began to heal, only a little slower as he was pushing himself.

"Don't get near it, attack from a distance!" Kousuke yelled, trying to organize the Masters and Servants from both groups. "Ginevra, Caster of Sixth, form a barrier around the mansion to prevent collateral damage! We keep the fight here!"

"What is that?!" Rin asked, seeing that strange black being.

As if reacting to her presence the Shadow began to emit a black aura that seemed like a scream. The pool of darkness began to grow and from it a hand emerged and seconds later a black colossus came from it.

More began to emerge as well, their presence making all the Servants understand that while they didn't really get the meaning behind their existence the giants in front of them were beings capable of fighting them.

Fast as lighting the giants began their attack and in that chaos none of the Masters noticed that Medusa and Sakura were missing.

* * *

Counter Guardian Rin was watching this and horror began to fill her soul.

"No… no… no," she said as she left theHOTEL ROOM where she was staying along with her sister.

She went to the roof and found that she couldn't deny what was happening, her greatest nightmare was repeating once again.

"Sister…?"

Cattleya's voice made her turn. She didn't want her to see this, but that was futile since the awakening of the Shadow had released a wave of energy felt by everyone in the city. So it was obvious Cattleya would notice too.

"That is the same dark energy that I felt a few days ago," she said, rather serious. "But it's weird, it feels a little different… almost like…"

Realization hit her as she balled her hands into fists and began to walk to where her sister was standing.

"Let's go."

This wasn't something she could let stand: that energy she was feeling was similar to her Third Magic. Something she had achieved at great risk to her soul, being, and existence, for which she and her friends had gambled everything. Even if it was just a simple and degraded copy it was something she couldn't allow to exist. Its very existence was an insult to her.

"No!" Rin yelled, making Cattleya stop in surprise by her sister's outburst.

Rin knew that her reaction was strange, but in times like this she couldn't really think clearly, because no matter how much she tried to calm down the weight of her memories chose this moment to make itself manifest and the fear of history repeating once again was too strong.

"Sister, what's wrong?" Cattleya asked in concern.

"No… nothing, it's just that we shouldn't hurry to an unknown battlefield."

Cattle looked at her, not really believing her words.

"Sister, is there something that you aren't telling me?"

Rin bit her lower lip, thinking about how to explain that another version of her sister was slowly becoming a monster that could actually swallow the earth in darkness, the vessel for all the evils of the world would come back and her power was such that no Servant could match her.

She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice the black swordswoman that had appeared behind her with a dark blade looming overhead.

Thankfully Cattleya did.

"Sister, behind you!" she yelled.

Hearing her shout Rin turned and saw a face that she never expected or wanted to see ever again. And just in time a wall made of diamond appeared between them, blocking the black swordswoman's attack.

The swordswoman held her ground, her corrupted sword repeatedly but vainly striking to break through the diamond without success. Rin jumped back to Cattleya's side, only after which did Cattleya dissolve the wall. Saber of Zero stood in front of them.

"Arturia…" Rin said with shock and mounting horror.

Cattleya regarded the Servant in front of them carefully and recognized her similarity with the Saber summoned in her war. Yet she seemed different, the one she had met was a noble soul and while she had made wrong choices couldn't be anything less than an honorable knight and person. The one in front of her completely lacked any of that. The heart that had driven her blade wasn't present, and all Cattleya could see was a mere shadow.

Saber looked at Rin with blank eyes.

"We meet again, executioner."

Her words were like a stab at Rin's heart.

"It… it's you?"

Saber nodded, the very Saber the Shirou she knew had summoned by accident and during the war of her world was tainted by her demonic sister. The one Shirou needed to sacrifice his life for in order to defeat.

The explanation was easy, after her Master's death she disappeared but because of her pact she returned to her last moments, but what no one had expected was that the darkness that had she had been corrupted with was brought back with her.

The Throne of Heroes existed outside of time and space, and a tainted Arturia who was nothing but a shadow of her other self could be summoned. The possibility of her and Rin meeting once again was one in a million but this war made those impossible odds possible.

"I returned once again to make my Master's wish true," Saber stated in a flat voice as she pointed her black blade at Rin. "You who manage to kill her once are the biggest threat."

Rin ground her teeth.

"So you don't regret it?" she said with venom in her voice. "All the things you did… killing Shirou …you don't regret any of that!"

Saber continued to look at her with blank eyes, her face not betraying any emotion.

"I don't, he was an enemy who used everything he had to try and defeat me. He isn't the first man I saw sacrifice his life for a hollow victory."

This was her present self, a being completely devoid of emotion and living up to the image of the "Emotionless King" she had been called while being alive.

Yet those words made Rin's blood boil, how dare she say that his death had been meaningless? Power began to stir as she collapsed her self-imposed limitations and reality began to buckle as she switched to her true form as an evolved Human: an Angel-type A-Ray.

"How dare you?" she roared, only for a wide-eyed Cattleya to re-impose the limiters.

"Are you daft?" she shouted. "The radiation surge will kill me in an instant!"

Rin's eyes went wide with belated realization even as Saber launched her counterattack. Just as her blade was about to pierce Cattleya's chest, she was blindsided by a wave of diamonds. The corrupted Servant quickly regained her footing and avoided the follow-up attacks, the waves smashing into the ground and tearing it up in vain.

"I don't know who you are nor do I particularly care," Cattleya growled as diamond dust merged together to form dozens of javelins behind and around her. "You dare raise your sword against my sister? You dare side with that mockery of my miracle? So be it!"

Cattleya paused and narrowed her eyes. "But don't think that you are worthy of beholding the light of heaven. Diamond Stream…!"

Saber made the first strike but was forced back hard as the javelins rained down on her, making her on the defensive and parry the iridescent projectiles, even as the dark energy finally began to wane.

* * *

Going back a few minutes, the members of the two factions continue to fight the monsters that keep sprouting from the dark lagoon around the Shadow.

The dark giants had durability and power that didn't let them be slain by any normal attack, working together the Servants of both groups could barely keep killing them before they escaped the radius.

Magic in all possible kinds were present trying to contain the giants that seemed endless. Neither the Servants nor the Masters believed that they could win at this point. They didn't know how to stop the giants and with each passing battle the only thing they managed to do was waste their strength.

Emiya stood at the top of the mansion shooting Broken Phantasms at each of the giants that were about to leave the barrier.

He was joined by the two magicians of the Age of the Gods that keep shooting energy beams around the area, trying their best not to kill their allies in the process.

"Yagami no Kenjutsu..." Kousuke said as he activated his eyes. "….Byakuren!"

He rushed towards the giants, drawing his sword with such fine movement that as he formed the white lotus with his blade he managed to cut one's left side to shreds.

The giant stopped for a second but losing half of its body didn't seem to affect it as it began to regenerate. But Kousuke never expected to kill it with his last attack, the giant prepared to strike back before being engulfed by light.

"Sevdim Punch!" Leo yelled from behind.

His punch tore what remained of the giant into nothingness as light overcame darkness. The two Masters were breathing heavily. Merely being close to that dark vortex was enough to absorb their energy. But there was no time to rest as just after beating one giant another appeared and punched Leo on his right side, sending him flying a few meters.

"Leo!" Kousuke yelled, moving to help him.

But he didn't need to as a golden chariot ripped its head off. The Pharaoh continued to travel through the skies accompanied by Odysseus, who used the height to shoot bolts of energy that turned into axes. Odysseus took a moment to observe how his Master stood up by himself with a smirk, knowing he was fine.

"You have a nice view," Odysseus said while whistling. "Can't believe you let me ride with you."

With a smile he shot another giant.

"I didn't," Ramses answered with a cold voice. "I summoned my chariot and you just hopped on and wouldn't listen to me when I told you to get off."

Odysseus laughed as he shot another axe towards a giant who was about to leave the area. The weapon cut its head in half but the giant continued to advance. Before it could take another step, one crimson blade and one invisible blade cut its body to shreds.

The two female kings stood back to back, ready to slay the next one.

"Getting tired Arturia?" Nero teased.

"Not at all. This is nothing compared to times of war."

They didn't say anything more as they dashed towards their next target.

Kuzuki swung his arms as his reinforced fist destroyed whatever matter composed the base of those giants. This didn't stop their movements but it managed to create a very small delay only noticed by a boy in black who moved twice as fast. Kage closed the distance between them and using the momentum he managed to walk over the giant until he reached what seemed to be the core. He began to leave behind small spheres on his way before getting down and taking Kuzuki out of there.

As he stopped his acceleration those spheres began to detonate, blowing pieces of the giant's bodies yet this wasn't enough to kill them, until a pair of crimson spears swung with such strength that they turned whatever remained into dust.

Lance and Lancer stood together trying to catch a break, backed by Atosaki who tried to put her untrained skills to use. It had to have been the worst time to practice ether crystallization, and the most she could materialize was liquid clay which conducted little prana and did little damage. She had to try anyway.

Kage could only describe their situation as a useless effort. The giants were slow and stupid but after every time they got killed their reactions improved. It was just a matter of time before all of them fell. Because unlike those giants who seemed endless they had their limit.

TheirONLY OPTION would be to take down the Shadow, but the giants stood around it as an impenetrable wall, not letting anyone get near.

On the other side Kage's predictions were being proven right as another giant caught the fists of both Edward and Bazett coming at it and threw them back.

"Rin! Shirou! Now!"

As if hearing his words the attention of the golem changed towards the two magi. Rin took an emerald and held it with her left hand as she began to chant, each word making the gem glow with intensity.

The giant reacted to that glow and prepared to attack but was delayed by a rain of blades and a sphere of fire coming at it as Shirou and Breno attacked to give Rin time to finish and throw the gem at the giant, who was absorbed by a green light.

The light began to die as smoke clouded their eyes but suddenly the giant emerged from the smoke with a ragged body seeking to attack Rin, who it considered by instinct the biggest threat.

"Rho Aias!" Shirou yelled as he projected the legendary shield of seven layers.

It manage to stop the blow, but the strength behind it was enough to break one of the layers. Yet before a second could come a spectral hand buried its head on the ground. Bazett ran over the hand, finishing by smashing in the head.

"We can't… keep this up much longer…" Edward said, breathing heavily.

"For once… I agree with you Hellhound," Breno answered.

In that moment they felt it, how the vortex began to grow as it continued to absorb the magic from all present, and the next wave of giants began to emerge, even bigger than the last time and in bigger numbers.

"No way…" Emiya said as his eyes widened. "… At this rate they will enter the town."

Kousuke ran towards Rin's group along with Tamamo.

"We are in trouble Kousuke," Edward said to his leader.

"Yeah…" Kousuke panted, thinking of any way out of this. "Tamamo could do something about this 'Shadow' but I need some time to prepare and we need them to remain inside the bounded field."

"How long?" Rin asked him

"A couple of minutes at least."

"What?! While we can still fight, the giants are about to leave the area!"

"I agree." Bazett intervened. "Just buying time would be hard if we need to keep them here. I don't think we can."

"I can get you time, Kousuke," Edward said.

"You sure? You seem in bad shape," Kousuke said a little worried.

Edward just smiled as a crimson hound appeared over his left shoulder.

"Never forget you were born by flames!"

The giants seemed to stop as a circle of fire began to expand towards them.

"Let this hell be my kingdom. Let my flames judge them all!"

"Hey what are you doing?!"Shirou asked his brother as he noticed how the world around them began to change.

"Crimson Purgatory!"

A crimson light engulfed those present and the moment Shirou and Emiya opened their eyes, they had to try their best to withstand seeing that hell once again. Everyone there observed with wide eyes the world made of fire created by the Hellhound.

Leo observed that world, Heaven, Hell and Purgatory united in one mix of hope and despair fitting for the afterworld.

"So this is what you mean by other Reality Marbles… Shirou," he said in a whisper, remembering that old man he met back in his world who dragged him into this, the one he fought, inheriting his will.

But different feelings began to emerge in the ones there seeing the Hellhound stand in the middle of that twisted world.

Medea observed him with cold eyes.

"So much power…" But a hint of sadness could be seen in her face.

"Something wrong?" Ginevra asked her.

"Just… just what did that kid experience to make his inner world a living hell?"

Ginevra looked at her with widened eyes.

"Who knows?" she simply said as she began to analyze the Reality Marble. "Maybe this is a scene that left a scar on him and he just wished it to be different."

The two magicians landed on one of the buildings of the black side near where Nero had appeared.

"I think you could answer us, Emperor," Medea said to her.

Nero didn't look at them.

"He is just an idiot…" she said as she continued to look at the people inside the building of the white side. "…This is where it all began yet he doesn't regret it, he doesn't fear it but made it his strength."

She jumped and went back to her Master.

"With this there won't be any collateral damage!" Edward yelled.

The giants began to march onward, provoked by his words before being stopped by torrents of flames that began to burn them.

"Leave defense to me!"

"Tamamo get ready!"

The kitsune nodded as she began to activate her Noble Phantasm.

* * *

On the outside world Medusa continued to move at high speed towards Sakura's room. She had seen it for just a second and that second was all she needed to understand what was happening. The connection they shared let her know the real identity of that black being.

She broke down the door and she couldn't believe it when she found that the same darkness that was outside had completely engulfed the room and in the middle of it Sakura was there sleeping peacefully, not noticing the dark aura that was forming around her and what she was doing.

"Sakura!" Medusa yelled as she tried to get closer to her just to be repelled by a dark energy.

She continued to struggle, trying to get closer to the girl. Entering a pit of darkness that could consume even a Heroic Spirit, it was a good thing she wasn't a completely pure soul. Still she could feel how her mana was being drained just by standing there.

"Wake up …." She felt as if something wrapped around her legs, as if an invisible force tried to keep the two apart.

The words of Ginevra resounded in her mind.

"I was saved from my dark fate."

She continued trying to advance, each step requiring more strength that the last one.

"Sakura!"

Inside a black room Sakura could hear a very familiar voice calling her name but she couldn't quite remember whose it was as the black figure continued to loom at her side.

But that wasn't all. She began to hear other sounds, sounds of battle, that while they scared her they also made her wonder what was happening.

But the hands of the dark figure covered her eyes and ears.

"Don't worry child," it said. "Don't listen."

"Will…" Sakura said, "…will he really say it all…?"

Doubt began to rise inside of her. She recognized him from her nightmares but those sad eyes he always had made uncertain that he would actually try to do anything against her.

Because she knew what was hiding inside of her, and if she ended up being controlled by itshe really wanted to die, but she was too much of a coward for that.

"He will. He has betrayed us once. Let me show you."

Her mind seemed to be transported to another time.

She was lying on the floor, inside what looked like a dark cave. There was no sound, she didn't feel any pain. Actually, she wasn't feeling anything at all. Then another figure entered her vision, a young man with crimson hair and eyes, half of a hound mask covering the left side of his face, blood falling from his forehead.

"Do it," she said with a monotone voice.

He didn't answer in any way. He just looked at her with sad eyes as if wishing this moment was nothing but a nightmare.

"I'm sorry… I… I wish it didn't have to come to this." His voice sounded as if holding back tears.

She just looked at him. He hadn't changed even after all he had gone through. Since the beginning her salvation wasn't on the table. Besides, even if he could save her, she had taken too many things from him. So many loved ones she had stolen from him, he couldn't let her live. No, at this point living was too painful.

"You…"

Yet there was another feeling in her heart.

"You promised…" she finally said and she saw how his eyes widened in horror.

"You promised that you would protect me… that you would never betray me."

He didn't answer because he knew she was speaking the truth.

"In the end you choose that doll over me… You would kill me so that girl can live."

"I'm sorry…." That was his only answer as he raised his crimson claw and got ready to pierce her heart.

She just looked at him.

"Liar."

And then her chest burned. Truth to be told she believed he didn't deserve those words but those were her real feelings, she really expected him to save her but he failed. In the end he did the same thing his father would have done in his position, that he felt sorry about it and that he would regret it didn't matter anymore.

The last person she believed in also discarded her for another, just like her parents, just like her sister. In the end her fate was to die alone and rot.

The pain made her consciousness come back to the present as she escaped the dark figure's grasp with widened eyes, not believing what she had just seen.

All doubt disappeared and she decided to ignore the sounds of battle and the voice calling her name.

* * *

Back to the world made of fire, the scene suddenly changed as the void surrounding the Shadow began to grow once again, as if trying to suck in the world where she had been confined.

The giants increased in number once again and began to attack even more fiercely. The flames couldn't stop them anymore. Kage's worries had become a reality, the giants were adapting with each defeat. Now they weren't mindless giants, but an unstoppable force.

Just as Lance destroyed the head of a giant, another one appeared and with its black fist smashed him into the ground as the head of the other giant began to regenerate, preparing to finish the spearman before being blown away along with the other giants, leaving an open area because of a spectral hand and a Broken Phantasm.

"This is insane!" Medea yelled as she continued to fly, dodging the attacks of black humanoids with wings that kept trying to shoot her down. "How much energy does that aberration have?"

Edward stood in front of Lance as Atosaki got next to him and tried her best to provide him energy, she was feeling exhausted but she didn't care. She wasn't the only one either. Everyone else was at their limit.

"How is he, Atosaki?" Edward asked her.

It took her a few seconds to answer back.

"He's fine, nothing serious."

The rest of the Masters and Servants grouped themselves in the middle of that world as the giants began to surround them. As the Reality Marble began to crumble they heard a loud crash as Ramses' chariot crashed next to them, the Pharaoh's completely destroyed and the two Servants inside emerged from the destroyed structure.

"Damn peons!" Ramses yelled in pain.

Odysseus, rather than complain, wondered why all of them were united there because it seemed they were protecting something.

"What are you doing?"

He walked and realized that in the center was Tamamo with her nine tails behind her, surrounded by a powerful magic energy as if she were focusing all her power. Her eyes were closed and she was beginning to chant. Normally this wouldn't be required but taking into consideration the long range and the power of the enemy it was needed.

"Kousuke, tell me when we are ready to go," Edward said as he tried to keep the giants at bay with whatever power remained from his world.

A circle of fire surrounded them but it was only matter of time

"Just thirty seconds more!" he yelled as he drew his sword and get ready to withstand the final wave of attacks along with the others.

A golden light appeared on the right side as if trying to face the Shadow itself and the hundreds of golems in between. The light of the Sword of Promised Victory shone in the moment of need, once again giving hope.

Yet Arturia and her sword could only hold those on her side. At the left Medea stood firmly as she summoned the last of her power, she didn't know what they were planning but she believed in what she felt. She decided to bet her survival on the power of the Goddess of the Sun. Ginevra was at her side and while she hated that those kids had dragged her and her mother into this she was rather curious about their plan. If everything failed she could wait until the world of the Hellhound disappeared and escape.

"I hope you have thought this over carefully, Hellhound and Yagami," she said with a tired grin.

On the north side Kousuke began to chant as Heroic Spirit Emiya traced a sword that looked similar to the one Arturia was holding. It was an imperfect copy but if it was just to stop their enemies it was more than enough.

The only side left was the south and Edward was there seeing how the giants were about to break in.

Atosaki who was next to Lance noticed something dripping from Edward's clothes. She ran to him and her eyes widened in horror after seeing his outfit soaked in his own blood. His old wounds had opened and she wondered how long he had been fighting like that. It didn't matter that he could heal himself, if the wounds continued to open again and again it would never end.

"Ed—" He didn't let her finish as he put a hand over her mouth.

"Don't yell. It could cause panic," he said in a whisper.

She didn't like it, but she had to accept this point. In the last seconds before the shield broke, the girl took his shoulders and allowed reservoirs of her own energy to crystallize at the point of contact. It didn't matter how little of a difference it made, she wanted to help him.

He looked at her with wide eyes for a second before smiling at her. Odysseus walked to his side with a small pouch, ready to unleash the third of the four winds that had been given to him. Nero wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and looked at him, worried.

"This is why I don't like you to fight," she said, not showing him her face.

The wall broke and Nero led Atosaki back to Lance as the other heads of the Hellhound manifested themselves for a few seconds.

Odysseus opened the pouch.

Arturia raised her blade. "Ex…."

The magicians of the Age of the Gods prepared to unleash their power.

"Sanzai suru, kemono no hone! Sentō, kōshō, kōtetsu no sharin. Ugokeba kaze, tomareba sora. Yariutsu neiro ga kōjō ni michiru!" Kousuke recited as he extended his left arm before the coming giants.

Emiya got his traced blade ready as it also began to glow but he didn't say the name. He didn't consider himself fit to do it, nor was it necessary.

Spheres of fire formed on the mouths of the hounds over Edward's shoulders. "Cerberus…"

Time seemed to stop as Arturia decided to bring down her sword.

"…calibur!" she yelled as a golden beam was fired, annihilating everything in between her and the Shadow.

At that very moment the others unleashed their power to hold back the rest of the giants for the last couple of seconds.

A storm could be heard as it the Wind of Boreas destroyed the giants, scattering them into the sky. Beams of purple energy on the other side burned them without mercy.

"Raikōhō!" Kousuke yelled as golden lighting came from his left hand and Emiya unleashed the power of his traced sword with a similar golden light yet it wasn't so bright as the original and the beam was smaller.

"…Roar!" A crimson beam came from both mouths of the hounds along with one from his mouth. The beams fused, eradicating everything in its path.

A wave of power emerged, exterminating any opposition. The Shadow didn't move as the golden beam threaten to consume it and received the attack head on.

The smoke dissipated into nothing but burnt ground stood around the members of both factions. Arturia breathed heavily. That had been the last of her power and while she managed to clear the way she saw that the Shadow remained standing impassible.

The world began to crumble as Tamamo opened her eyes and her shield became a circle under her.

A pale pink orb appeared between her hands.

"Kongoukai Mandara!" she yelled as the light began to expand around the whole territory.

This was the last card up her sleeve against such a dark being.

The light consumed the whole crimson world, disintegrating the darkness of the Shadow—it would be more accurate to say the light was exorcising it.

* * *

Kirsche and Illya emerged from Kirsche's shadow right in front of the mansion, just as they saw a pillar of light go up in the back yard and Illya rushed over. Kirsche followed her and after the light extinguished their eyes widened, not believing what was in front of them.

* * *

Well another one done The battle with the shadow concludes ... at least or know in the net chapter!


	32. Chapter 31 Antares

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche von Einzbern

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Magister Fay - Cattleya Velvet

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Chapter 31 Antares

In another part of the city, while the masters of the Sixth and Blue Factions were fighting against the shadow, a crimson blade met a hardened fist. Each clash sowed destruction over the area as neither of the Servants seemed to care about collateral damage, their minds more focused upon slaying their opponent.

While they respected each other in a twisted way by recognizing the opponent's skills, each missed attack only created frustration and every blow that they managed to land was but a symbol that they were closer to killing the other.

They separated, the Chinese Assassin and the Crimson Knight looking at each other intently, and had the expression of the knight been visible under the helmet, anyone could tell she was smiling and sharing the expression of her opponent.

Assassin's outfit was completely turned to rags, with deep cuts all over his body and blood staining red the remainders of his clothing. On her end Mordred's armor was severely damaged, her body exposed where the fist of the Assassin had landed in their previous exchange. She was quite happy; this was one of the few worthy fights she had engaged in after being summoned in this war.

Assassin closed his eyes as he dropped into a stance and took a deep breath. One second later he opened his eyes and in an instant he disappeared from Mordred's line of vision.

"Wha…?"

She didn't have the time to finish speaking as she saw his fist reappear in front of her face.

There was no time to dodge, so she did the only thing she could: she grit her teeth and got ready to receive the blow.

Just as the fist impacted her helmet she was sent flying at amazing speed until she crashed into a house at the end of the street. Assassin relaxed his body as blood began to drip from his right hand. He smiled when he saw the cloud of dust which had formed, yet his smile wasn't one of triumph or arrogance.

He saw the house where Mordred crash-landed, but he was sure that such an opponent wouldn't fall so easily.

A maniacal laugh proved him right as Mordred rose from the rubble she had been buried with, her helmet falling to one side. The last blow had almost completely destroyed it, and even if it hadn't she still would've taken it off, because against such an opponent fist's, armor was no different than a piece of paper. If anything, protection like that only made her slower.

"You aren't bad," she said with a vicious smile.

Seeing her face, Assassin's eyes widened for a second before regaining his usual grin. He had never cared whenever his target was a man or woman, young or old, in his eyes all his enemies were equals, the only difference being their level of skill, and he had to admit, the woman in front of him was a worthy foe.

"Well thanks," he said, changing his posture to attack with his left hand.

Mordred didn't say anything more as a cloud of red prana began to surround her body before she flew at Assassin at the speed of lighting. The Chinese man barely managed to move his head to one side to avoid the deadly strike of the crimson knight.

The pressure behind the thrust was enough not only to leave a cut on his face, but also a deep gash in the street. But the Chinese man didn't have time to rest. With her free hand Mordred grabbed him by the hair and pulled him down as her knee impacted him on the forehead.

But as she prepared for her next attack she felt a pair of hands grab at her stomach, and Assassin raised his face with a cruel smile.

"Sleeping Tiger!" he yelled as he canalized his chi, creating a vacuum between his hands and Mordred, concentrating the air of that space in a single point, as if through a small cannon.

Mordred coughed blood as she felt pain cause her insides to revolt, and she was pushed back. At the very moment the force of the last blow push her away, she moved her blade by pure instinct, creating a deep cut in Assassin's chest.

Both attacks would have killed a regular Servant, yet the two remained standing while glaring at each other. Blood dripped from their wounds but as they prepared for their next exchange both Servants felt a dark surge of energy in another part of the city. To Assassin that just meant another battle had begun, but for Mordred it had a deeper meaning.

"Father?" she asked as she started to leave Assassin on his own.

But she didn't manage to take even one step, since the second she tried one of the nearby houses exploded, leaving only flames in its place. The two Servants looked at the burned structure, searching for their Masters.

Suddenly Kairi burst from that sea of fire, rolling on the ground and trying to put out the embers on his jacket.

"Really… kids these days are nasty," he said with a sigh.

Just seconds earlier, Julius had moved stealthily, silently, through the shadows of that house, searching for the necromancer who had decided to hide and limit the area in which Julius could throw his invisible projectiles. Julius was using a long-ranged weapon, that was all Kairi managed to deduce after being cut many times by those things.

Normally Julius wouldn't rush so much but he was focused on removing any possible dangers posed to Leo, and he believed he had the upper hand. While Kairi had more experience and skill than Julius, the latter was faster—he never remained in range long enough for Kairi to use his shotgun. In moments like this he became a machine, analyzing the smallest details of his environment, only caring about eliminating his target.

While he was an assassin under the service of the Harwey family, unlike Leo or Dan he was a regular human without any modification. Born as the illegitimate son of the head of the family he was considered to be successor, assuming the blood of the man that was supposed to be his father would make him a superior being. Yet that wasn't the case, Julius was born as a regular child. This came as a disappointment to everyone in the family and his existence would be erased to everyone except a few.

Yet as he continued to chase Kairi through the shadows he couldn't erase that feeling of uneasiness he got, a product of the calmness he had observed from Kairi since the beginning of their fight. After the initial surprise attack the necromancer seemed fittingly surprised, confused even, but not once did he seem concerned or afraid, and that lack of human response was the origin of such consternation.

This was thanks to Kairi's nature as a necromancer. Ever since he was a kid he had been near death and witnessed things other kids would only see in their worst nightmares. While this would twist a normal person's outlook on the world, making him fearless of death and in some cases make him develop an obsession with it like Uryuu Ryuunosuke, in Kairi's case being so close to death created in him a strange feeling towards it, and that could be considered something along the lines of respect.

He understood death was something inescapable, but at the same time he didn't want to die. He feared death but this very same fear allowed him to keep a cold head in life or death moments like the present.

Kairi sighed as he leaned against a wall and took out another one of the cigarettes stowed in his pocket. He couldn't deny he was in a very bad position. Not only did he not know what he was being attacked with, he had no time to find out.

"Really, there is no end to my bad luck…" he murmured as he lighted the cigarette.

Julius saw the smoke coming from near the door frame of one of the nearby rooms, the light of the moon allowing him to see a small shadow. While thinking this was a little too convenient, Julius disregarded his instinct and simply believed Kairi had make a mistake.

Taking a gun with a silencer from the inner pocket of his coat, he pointed it to where the head should be located, using the shadow as a reference.

He shot twice and the bullets pierced the wall without effort, diving inside its target's skull, but instead of relief the uneasiness continued to grow inside of him, compelling him to continue shooting to reassure himself with each bullet that his enemy was really dead. When the gun finally ran out of bullets Julius decided to close the distance and observe his target. He moved slowly and as he passed the door frame, his eyes widened in shock and he began to run towards the window of the room at full speed.

"… I keep fighting stupid brats," Kairi finished, departing from the house as the dummy he left in that room with one of his cigarettes and a C-4 explosive wrapped around its stomach detonated.

Julius tumbled on the ground. The explosion had caught him badly and burned his back completely. While the man tried his best to endure the pain it was rather useless. He had been too close, and the only reason he hadn't been blown to pieces was because the bomb used by the necromancer was rather small.

Kairi had used a dead body he found inside the house, although it had many cuts in it. He decided to not worry too much about details and just went with it. Strangely, the deceased man's left eye was the only thing that seemed untouched by whoever murdered him. He connected their left eyes with magic, using it as a small camera. That way he knew the exact moment when to blow up the house, though still, in his rush, he hadn't taken into consideration the distance between the bomb and the window.

"Geez, anyone who saw me now would think I'm getting rusty."

Mordred walked up to him as Assassin moved towards Julius.

"Did you just blow up a house in order to catch him?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"It was faster than trying to figure out his tricks," Kairi said simply as he rummaged around for another cigarette, just to find he had run out of them.

"Nice," was all she said, with a wide grin.

On their end Julius and his Servant were in a bad situation. Julius was unable to continue fighting and Assassin knew he couldn't run while protecting his Master, at least not against someone like Mordred.

Mordred readied her blade as she and Kairi began to cut the distance between the two. They were a couple of meters away before she stopped and jumped back, grabbing her Master as well and barely dodging an air slash coming at her with great power.

She wanted to scream at whoever dared to try such a cowardly attack against her, but a mad roar was the only answer she needed.

"Berserker," she said, annoyed with the interference.

Kairi turned to see a massive Servant approaching. He couldn't distinguish his face in the darkness of the night until he took another step forward into the light of a street lamp. It was a towering man with red hair wearing what seemed to be Chinese armor, a halberd in his right hand.

He had a fierce look in his eyes, barely contained in contrast to the girl walking up next to him, his Master. She was a tanned girl with an empty gaze and lavender hair, wearing an Indian dress under a white lab coat.

"Good night," was all she said while bowing her head, and then she said in the same a monotone voice, "eliminate them, Berserker."

The mad warrior ran at Mordred, who barely had time to push her Master away before stopping the giant's charge towards her. Various blows coming at her with great speed and power were enough to shake her arms with each strike.

Kairi saw the furious attacks and thought of that Servant as little more than a wild beast. He wasn't wrong, either—each of the slashes of that halberd, even while being blocked, would leave a huge gash in the ground and the outer walls of the house. He could only imagine the worst should one of those slashes manage to pass through Mordred's defense.

Eventually the crimson knight was pushed back. The damage she had received from Assassin was still fresh and to fight a Berserker now was something too much even for the 'Knight of Deceit.'

She raised her eyes and saw the halberd descending upon her, barely able to roll out of the way as she saw how the pressure of the last blow was enough to throw her back and break the asphalt in two.

"Damn monster!" she yelled as crimson prana began to surround her and she jumped towards him and slashed at him.

Taking advantage of the small opening created after her attack Mordred drove her blade towards him, she was too close for him to dodge so he raised his free arm and received Mordred's blade. The blade pierced the mad warrior's left hand but it wasn't enough; she had received more damage than she originally though. The tip of Clarent was inches away from Berserker of White's neck when his bloody fingers grabbed and stopped the sword.

Mordred tried to pull away but it was futile, and she saw how he raised his halberd from the broken concrete and prepared to attack.

Yet instead of blood splattering, the sound of a gun being fired made the fiery-headed giant release the blade and disappear from Mordred's eyes, just to reappear in front of Rani, blocking the bullets from Kairi's gun.

"Damn…" He tried to laugh but it was impossible. "…We're in a pretty tight spot."

Mordred didn't hear him and just grit her teeth. No matter how wounded she was, the fact that she was having trouble with an enemy was something her pride couldn't let go, and no matter what she wouldn't allow herself to lose before settling the score with her 'father'.

A crimson aura began to engulf her as she raised Clarent over her head.

"I recommend you to stop…" Rani said, still with a blank expression.

"Shut up!" Mordred cut her off. "Like hell I'm going to lose here!"

Rani didn't say more as Berserker of White separated the blades of the sides of his halberd's main body, and they extended and curved, as if becoming a bow. Mordred didn't seem to care as the crimson light of Clarent began to expand around her, taking on a color similar to blood and giving the image of not a holy blade, but instead a wicked and cursed one.

Berserker stop roaring and charged his bow with the shaft that remained of his halberd. The moment he got it ready the tip of the spear began to shine as the ground around the warrior began to shake.

"The fusion of all creation, the purity of the soul which descends beyond the horizon of qualia. Tincture Trismegistus... primary form..." Rani began to cast as the power of Berserker's arrow grew and grew.

"Clarent…" Mordred began.

"Shoot!" Rani finished as Berserker roared and released the deadly arrow.

"…Blood Arthur!" Mordred yelled as she lowered her blade

The scarlet beam fired toward the arrow of light shot by the mad warrior, the two powers clashed and in the middle of the street the shock wave destroyed everything around them. The light created by the clash of those two legendary weapons began to expand and suck in all those present, until a voice was heard.

"It seems everyone is in a bad mood today."

It was a voice Kairi recognized, and as that voice resounded the light of destruction began to shrink, the powers cancelling each other out.

Mordred's eyes widened, she was unable to believe what had just happened. On his end Kairi just looked at the owner of the voice and the two figures behind him. One was a woman with porcelain skin wearing a black dress and on the other side was an older man with reddish-brown hair wearing green medieval garb and holding a red tome open in front of him.

"Shirou Kotomine…" Kairi said while glaring with distrust at the priest.

The priest just smiled at him before turning towards Rani.

"I would like to ask you to stop fighting young lady. We are allies after all."

Rani just looked at him and he took it as a signal to continue.

"It seems there has been a misunderstanding. This man is a member of my faction."'

While he didn't seem like he was lying, Rani didn't believe he was telling her the entire truth either, yet he had a point. If the man over there was an ally, there was no purpose for this battle.

"Why did he continue the fight instead of trying to reason?" she asked.

"He had been working on his own from the beginning. He wasn't yet aware of the alliance."

"I see. Then good night," she said with a bow before turning to Julius. "Let's go back Mister Julius; Master Leo has called a meeting."

Julius was in no position to object and simply nodded as Assassin helped him stand. Rani made a sign to her Servant, and Berserker disappeared while he continued to look at Mordred, who glared back at him.

Once they were gone, Kairi turned to Shirou.

"What are you planning, Shirou?"

Before he could give him an answer, Mordred yelled in rage as she swung her blade and shot a crimson slash of prana towards the priest.

"You bastard! Who do you think you are to interfere?!"

But the priest didn't move as Semiramis stepped in front of him. She snapped her fingers, creating a shield durable enough to block the knight's attack.

"My, my, my. You look more like a wild animal than a dignified knight," Semiramis said while looking a little offended by Mordred's presence.

"You bitch!"

She was prepared to rush at her but Kairi stopped her.

"Calm down Mordred," Kairi said as he walked over.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Just calm down for now. Whether we like it or not we're on the same side," Kairi said in a whisper. "At least for now."

Mordred nodded but her mood didn't seem to change as the very presence of that woman annoyed her.

Shirou broke the silence. "It seems everyone has calmed down."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well Kairi, it is as I said before, while you continued to run around on your own we made an alliance with the members of the White Faction."

"Is that so?"

"I wanted to tell you, but you aren't the easiest person to find."

"Yeah I get told that a lot," he said with a sigh. "Then I don't think you 'helped me out' just for the sake of it."

"Really, you have zero confidence in me, don't you?" Shirou answered with a laugh. "But you are right. I came here to ask you to return with us, Kairi."

Kairi looked at him for a few seconds.

"I refuse. I prefer to keep working on my own."

"Should I take your words as a sign of betrayal?"

"Not necessarily. I will exchange information with you but I won't reveal Saber's identity, nor will I ask you to reveal theirs. That being said, I might consider lending a hand when you fight against other groups."

"I see; it is a shame though. We won't stand side by side, but at least take this," Shirou said as he took out a small notebook and threw it at him. "Information about other Masters I managed to obtain."

"For free?"

"Take it as a token to cement our trust in each other."

With that Kairi and Mordred began to walk away.

"Should I have one of my doves follow them?" Semiramis asked, whispering in Shirou's ear.

"No, for now we will let them do as they please. It is too early to fight amongst ourselves in this war."

On their end Mordred turned into spirit form as Kairi continued to walk away.

"I assume you don't trust them either."

"No. Call it a hunch, but I feel something wrong coming from that man."

"Not only him…"

"What do you mean?"

"That woman behind him… was like Morgan."

Kairi pondered her words. As a fellow assassin he could smell the blood on her, also on Mordred, but there was a difference. He could tell Mordred was the kind of person who would get her hands dirty with all the victims who fell under her sword, but in the case of Semiramis he sensed something different. In his eyes she was Mordred's complete opposite: she seemed like the kind of person who planned her assassinations and didn't try to hide them but at the same time, she likely had someone else carry them out in her stead.

"She had the same smell," Mordred continued before falling silent.

But there was something else on her mind, and it bothered her for a moment. She had felt that same power like the one after the battle with the demonic Caster, a power similar to her father, but different and more twisted.

* * *

In another part of the city, the battle between Cattleya and Saber of Zero continued, the latter unable to reach the opponent. Diamond dust continued to descend towards Saber in the form of javelins and while she had the speed and strength to parry them all, at the very instant she managed to get anywhere close she would find an impenetrable wall.

But as she was about to charge once again, Saber sensed something weird inside of her and as she turned towards where she had detected the presence of her Master, she felt how the dark power began to disappear. She wasn't alone. Cattleya and Rin felt it too. Those two wondered who had been able to do something like that, yet at the same time Rin knew it wasn't over.

"No…" Saber murmured.

"It seems there has been some trouble under my watch."

The three realized in that moment, there was another person there.

The sky turned blood-red for a second as a crimson knight wrapped in flames materialized between the two sides.

A chill ran through their backs as they felt a pressure like never before. Even for Cattleya that presence was something that confused her and when she saw her sister's eyes widen in fear she could deduce his identity.

"Antares?" she asked.

The said knight turned towards them with a fake smile.

"Oh, Tailcoat, long time no see," he said, waving a hand towards Rin.

"Y-yeah…" She didn't know what to do to. Finding him in such a situation was the worst possible outcome.

In that moment Antares' eyes shifted from her to Cattleya.

"Oh? I don't recall meeting you before," he remarked as he continued to observe her with all the fascination of a kid seeing a new toy. "Is she the one, Tailcoat? She is the sister you—"

"Shut up!" Rin yelled, making the knight stop talking and drop his smile.

"First Mister Hero and now you," he said with a sigh before disappearing and reappearing in front of her before Cattleya could react at all. "It seems the time we have been apart has made both of you to forget who I am."

"Sister!" Cattleya screamed as diamond dust tried to attack Antares just before he disappeared and returned to his original position.

"Calm down little girl. If you don't, I will be forced to do the same I did with that geezer."

Cattleya didn't understand what he meant until he created a fire portal next to him and put in his left arm, as if searching for something. He then dragged out a battered Zelretch and threw him in front of them.

"You don't go breaking the rules, old man," he said with a cold voice. "We agreed to let you enter only seven Masters."

Cattleya looked at the scene with shock. While he was crippled, Zelretch was still a sorcerer like her, and the fact that Antares had managed to subdue him was something that didn't make any sense.

"Who are you?"

"A very good question, young lady," Antares said with a laugh. "But as I was saying, you aren't allowed to be here. But as it was this old man's fault, I will give you one last chance to go back."

"And if I decline?" Cattleya said, getting ready.

"That is a shame you know." Antares sighed. "The Masters of this War have protection, so I can't kill them as I please. But you…"

He lit his right arm with crimson flames before disappearing. Diamond dust surrounded Cattleya as an impenetrable wall but just as the shield was placed in position she heard the sound of the diamond being pierced, and pain began to course through her. As she looked down she saw Antares' arm buried inside her chest.

"…I can kill you without any consequences."

Cattleya couldn't speak, her own blood choking her, but what surprised her most was that he had been able to break through the diamond dust defense. No, he hadn't just broken it: he burned that part of the shield, something that was impossible even with the use of magic.

Antares looked at her one last time before ripping out her beating heart and smashing it in front of Rin and Saber's eyes. Cattleya's body collapsed and a pool of blood began to form around her, her eyes now lifeless. Antares watched all this with a little disappointment. He'd expected her to put up more of a fight.

He turned his attention towards Rin, who regarded him with a baleful glare.

"Now…" he began with a smile, "…those are some good eyes, Tailcoat."

He was about to rush her when a spear made of diamond pierced through his stomach from behind. He was really surprised but before he could speak his mind, many more spears plunged into his body. As blood began to taint the diamond, he saw Cattleya rise up with a frown.

"You ruined my dress," she said, seeing it stained with blood.

"H… how…?" Antares uttered.

"You can't kill me, Counter Guardian."

The next response was something Cattleya didn't expect. Antares began to laugh and his body turned into fire and he disappeared. Her gaze returned to the original spot the Counter Guardian had occupied just to prove her hunch right, finding him standing there as if nothing had happened.

"Wonderful… really wonderful!" he said while raising his arms. "It seems you will entertain me for a bit."

As a crimson stinger came from his back, Cattleya felt the ground around her shake as space began to collapse near where Rin was standing, power emanating from her.

"How dare you…" Rin said in a low voice. Cattleya knew that trying to stop her now would be useless, so she grabbed Zelretch and wrapped diamond dust around them. A wave of pure energy was being released around Rin, destroying the building where they were fighting.

No, destroying was the wrong term. As the wave of energy began to expand it disintegrated the building into nothingness. It was an explosion of power with such magnitude that everyone on the island could feel it, and while none could understand such a sensation, it struck deep into their very souls.

Saber of Zero was pushed back into the distance by the power of the shockwave, yet Antares remained impassible and with a smile no less, looking at how six black angel wings sprouted from Rin's back.

Cattleya was also pushed from the building and into another, but diamond dust absorbed most of the impact. She saw her sister flying in front of the Counter Guardian with an expression of rage like she had never seen before.

"Black Seraphim…" Rin whispered.

Radiation poisoned the air, and Rin was no longer a Counter Guardian. Cattleya had resurrected her using the Third Magic but left that power inside of her.

An A-Ray, the pinnacle of human evolution, artificially created by technology which by far surpassed that of this current era. A being with the potential to outlive a planet, and with the power to stand against the Ultimate Ones, a sword forged for what remained of humanity in one of the many distant futures to rebel against the gods and the stars.

Yet the man in front of Rin didn't seem fazed by the power emanating from her. His eyes reflected amusement, like seeing a clumsy child take their first steps.

A pair of silver guns appeared in Rin's hands; she raised one and pointed it at Antares. She knew him, she knew that look on his face. He wasn't thinking of this as a fight, but as a mere game of pleasure, his sadistic side coming to light.

But none of that mattered to her in that moment. She just wanted to hurt him with everything she had. Because he had laid his hands on her sister, seeing her die once was enough. The fact she could resurrect didn't change the fact he tried to harm her, and that was something she would never forgive.

"Disappear!" she yelled as she pulled the trigger and fired several glowing, ether-based projectiles with cross-shaped muzzle flares.

Antares just smiled as the bullets neared him, and his body was wrapped in a micro-nuclear explosion that devastated the surrounding area.

Rin got ready as Antares emerged from the smoke of the explosion carrying a massive crimson sword. He thrust it towards her and she barely managed to dodge the attack before the crimson knight stopped and swung it again at subsonic speed. She couldn't dodge so she shot at the blade instead, and the moment the bullets and the sword came in contact, a gigantic explosion formed in between them, pushing the two fighters back.

"Not bad, Tailcoat," Antares said with a grin.

"You bastard," she snarled while glaring at him.

The two rushed at each other, sieging destruction in the dark heaven of that city.

* * *

In another part of the city the members of the Blue and Sixth Factions saw a flare in the distance and while that worried them, none there had the strength left to move, except for Ilya and Kirsche, who had just arrived and were surprised to find what remained of a battlefield.

But those two had more important things on their minds. Kirsche could detect faint traces of the dark energy her teammates had fought, and the fact that so many Servants and magi were barely able to contain it was something that worried her.

She knew that Zouken had something to do with this and he wasn't alone. Regardless of whether her counterpart was listening because of fear or by her own will, the latter less likely, she knew that the Sakura Matou of the Blue Faction was the pawn he was using.

Avenger, she could feel it almost instantly, just like when she saw the arm of the Hellhound and while she wasn't sure how it was possible for him to exist in this war where there was no cursed Grail, she couldn't deny his presence.

She knew Zouken was such a fool that he would try to control such power in vain, but she didn't care about his plans. The next time she met him she would crush him without mercy. Her eyes turned towards Ilya, who was tending to a tired Shirou. She smiled at the scene, seeing Ilya's fears never happened.

"I won't let you hurt her again, Zouken," she whispered as her eyes turned cold and her smile faded.

On her end Ilya's thoughts were more focused on the person sitting in front of her and while she was relieved that Shirou wasn't more seriously wounded, she wanted him to be more careful, not that she could say that to him, seeing everyone else was almost as bad as him.

"What happened here, Shirou?"

"I don't know… A black monster appeared all of a sudden while I was..."

In that moment Shirou began to look around, searching for the Hellhound. When he found him he was lying next to his Saber and Atosaki, and he managed to stand with a little effort.

"Shirou!" Ilya yelled in concerned.

"Sorry Ilya, I need to do something first."

She sighed in exasperation. While she didn't meet him so many times during their war, during the last few days she managed to close the distance. It still amazed her how Shirou could forget the fact she tried to kill him at the beginning, much to Rin's dismay, to the point she thought it was rather annoying how forgiving he could be.

When he stumbled she decided to help him, but was beaten to it by Arturia, who moved to his side faster, and she grumbled as she followed them.

"Edward-san, you have to be more careful," Atosaki said, worried about him as she saw his wounds being sealed by flames. "Even if you can heal, it doesn't mean you should be so reckless."

"She is right, Praetor," Nero said while looking at him angrily.

"It's not like I could help it," Edward said as he sat up and looked at his left arm, which had become useless once again. "It reacted on its own."

Nero's eyes widened for a second.

"So it really is her?"

Edward didn't answer immediately.

"I'm not sure…" he said, looking away.

"Praetor!"

Atosaki was confused by their conversation. It almost sounded as if they knew what the thing they had fought moments prior was.

"Excuse me, Edward-san…?" she began, just to be interrupted.

"Sorry!" Shirou exclaimed, and then bowed a little. "Thank you for helping me!"

Atosaki saw Shirou standing near the right of Edward along with his Saber, and Ilya, who looked at them suspiciously.

Edward looked at him, rather serious.

"Shirou, come a little closer."

Shirou obeyed just to receive a smack to the head, and he dropped to his knees front of him.

"When I told you to run, you should've listened, stupid bro!" Edward said, rather angry.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Ilya yelled as she glared at Edward.

Still Shirou put a hand on her shoulder and made her stop.

"But you were about to be killed!" Shirou said back.

"I could still dodge!" Edward complained. "I got hurt even more saving you! If the others hadn't come in time, both of us would be long gone!"

In that moment Shirou began to analyze his words and couldn't help but admit Edward was right. Had Edward been a second late, that tentacle would have pierced him instead.

"Shirou, I know you want to help others. But if you get killed you can't save anyone," Edward said. Those words hurt, as they were the ones his father told him before. "So you need to learn what the best course of action is, so you can save others while keeping yourself alive."

Shirou didn't say anything else; he couldn't help but feel like a kid being lectured. Yet suddenly he was being patted on the head.

"Well, leaving all that aside… thank for helping me, little bro," Edward said with his usual smile.

Shirou didn't expect him to act like that, yet it was a refreshing feeling.

"You're welcome… brother," he said, without even thinking.

The rest looked at the scene with wide eyes, Ilya being the most shocked. Seeing them act way too familiar with each other, sure she knew her brother trusted others too easily but this was ridiculous.

Before she could think she found herself slapping Edward's hand from Shirou head. She wasn't jealous at all, that would be unthinkable; she was just looking out for Shirou since she didn't want him to be tricked by anyone. She definitely wasn't jealous over the fact he was calling someone else a sibling when he was hers.

"Wha…what are you doing?!" she exclaimed, a shade of red covering her face. "Who are you calling 'little bro' so casually?! Shirou is my brother and mine alone!"

Edward just looked at her with surprise. Since she left with Kirsche he didn't have time to look at her more carefully. Not that he needed to, she was exactly the same compared to the girl who had become his sister.

And taking into consideration her recent outburst, it was good to know that some things didn't change no matter what. But his relief only made Ilya angrier as he hadn't yet answered her questions.

"Wait Ilya, he helped me before. You don't need to be like that."

"Shirou is right, Illyasviel."

"Even you Saber…"

"He protected Shirou so I don't have anything against him."

"Says the woman who called him evil when she first met him," Nero said, standing next to Arturia.

"Can't blame me," Arturia answered with a calm voice. "With such a Servant at his side it is easy to misunderstand."

"There is nothing to misunderstand; with me at his side the greatness of my Praetor should be obvious."

The two kings glared at each other and anyone could see the sparks fly, and not in a good way.

"Now, back to the main topic," Edward said, trying to ignore what was happening next to him. "Well, we aren't really brothers, but we were raised by the same man."

Ilya's eyes widened in disbelief, and seeing her expression Edward understood he should have chosen his words better. She hadn't been there when Kousuke told the others the truth about them, so it was obvious she would be confused.

"I came from a parallel world. A world where Kiritsugu saved me instead of Shirou, in other words a world where…"

He didn't get to finish as the sound of a storm began around them and the King of Conquerors suddenly arrived at the scene.

"It seems we came at a bad moment," Iskandar said while scratching his head.

"Not really, the worst has already passed," Kousuke yelled from the ground.

Iskandar recognized him and grinned.

"Oh, boy, it seems you are doing fine, along with that little lady," he said with a laugh as he smiled at Atosaki.

"What brings you here?" Tamamo asked.

Iskandar could feel the distrust from the others and he couldn't blame them. In fact, he wanted to congratulate them for not lowering their guard even after their battles.

"I only came with an invitation for you. The fact that the two groups are here at once is really helpful," he finished as he began to descend in front of Kousuke and Tamamo.

"An invitation?"

"That is right. All factions should meet in two days at this place." As he said this he gave Kousuke a piece of paper.

Waver continued to glance around, his eyes set on the sky as it turned crimson, and the earth began to shake with tremors. It only lasted a second before a violent rise in power could be felt, so great that even at such a distance they could tell it was bad.

"Just what is happening there?" he said in a whisper.

* * *

Moments prior Rin continued to dodge the furious slashes of the crimson knight, along with the vicious thrust of the stinger that barely allowed any openings for her to shoot her guns. Still she had managed to counterattack and the battle had turned into a stalemate—at least in the eyes of anyone else, but Rin could tell otherwise.

She could tell from each time she saw that grin on his face, he was just playing around. She moved at inhuman speed which even surpassed that of Servants, yet the man in front of her could not only keep up with her, but he could sometimes predict her movements.

Antares was waiting for her next attack, while this little transformation surprised him he had to admit Rin was making this fight worthwhile. But as he continued to dodge Rin's deadly bullets he couldn't shake a weird feeling, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time: anger.

He rarely felt real anger. While he acted serious and even violent, he rarely get angry at anyone. Unlike Pleiades, Kaus and Situla, he didn't have an opinion on humans. He didn't hate them, nor did he like them either.

They were there and for good or for bad they existed, so there wasn't anything he could do about it. While sometimes he was amazed of their progress like Situla, whenever he was to carry out an extermination he didn't feel sadness or pity about the hell created. Whenever he felt rage it was when he saw them destroy the world, whenever he saw them destroy its beauty.

As his mind continued trying to understand such a feeling, one of the bullets cut his left cheek, and the power behind the bullets, as well as their speed, had begun to increase. He charged at Rin just for her to disappear from his field of vision in an instant.

He could hear a heavy clicking sound behind him and before he could react he was engulfed by a deadly beam made of concentrated ether. The beam continued on its course as it took down another building and flames expanded from the destruction.

Yet as the beams dissipated Rin's eyes widened. Antares rose from the debris their fight had created, but when their eyes met her blood froze. He wasn't smiling anymore. He was looking at her seriously, the very eyes he had given to the many victims he slayed through the millenniums.

The flames that surrounded the area began to enter his blades and he disappeared. Rin watched for him, searching.

"I finally understand what kind of being you have become," Antares said from behind her. "No, to understand what you have become would be an exaggeration. At the very least I managed to understand how your power works."

His voice was cold as ice and he continued to emit such murderous intent that she couldn't move.

"You are taking her life, her very essence, to gain power. All in a futile attempt to fight me." Antares gave her a deadly glare, the likes of which she had never seen. "How you dare take from her, human!"

In that moment she could feel all the water in the immediate area evaporating and the great amount of radiation emanating from that crimson blade as it glowed. A mix of heat and pressure fused inside the blade while flames began to wrap around it, as if forming a vortex that was slowly dragging Rin into it.

"Who… who are you?!" she yelled. This wasn't a power a Counter Guardian could possess.

"I have many names. Antares is just one of them," a voice spoke from the vortex. "My true name is only known by her, as she was the one who gave it to me. But no matter the century there is a title that keeps repeating to define beings like me."

"Beings like you?" Rin asked.

"A god. That is what you humans called me."

Rin's eyes widened as the vortex began to grow and suck everything into a spiral of destruction. Rin couldn't deny what she was seeing was like the sun itself attacking her.

"Helios Vortex," Antares said as he thrust his blade, making the vortex advance as an unstoppable force.

Rin continued to absorb the ether from the air and everything around her as she concentrated all her power into her guns and shot massive energy beams towards the crimson vortex. The powers collided and for a second she believed this was enough to stop it, but as the clash continued she saw how the vortex began to overcome her beams and continue to devour her.

"Da… dammit!"

He saw how it devoured everything in its way, creating a path of destruction until reaching the sea. Yet even there the flames continued to burn, strangely, as if being affected by the water. Finally he stopped them and made his blade disappear. He observed the destruction he had created.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he said, looking at the ground. "They managed to get away."

* * *

In another part of the city Rin fell to her knees and sweat beaded and dripped from her forehead. She was breathing heavily, unable to understand what she had just seen. She knew he was strong, but this was something beyond her expectations.

"Sister," Cattleya said, putting a hand on Rin's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

Zelretch had barely managed to move them in time before the vortex consumed them too. She understood why her sister seemed to worry so much about Antares.

"Cattleya." Zelretch spoke as he walked towards them. "He interrupted me when I was about to cross dimensions to get your allies. But after seeing this, do you really want me to bring them here?"

Cattleya didn't look at him, but at her sister, although the answer was obvious.

"No. We need a change of plans, Zelretch," she said in a flat tone. She couldn't put her friends in such danger. "We need something not only to stop that so-called god, but also that evil spirit."

* * *

Im back after a long absence so well Kairi remain a wild card like in the novel and Antares is a Friking god and the banquet gets near. so please review


	33. Chapter 32 Consequences

Chapter 32: Consequences

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche von Einzbern

Topographic Ocean - Breno Da Roche

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Magister Fay - Cattleya Velvet

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Sakura saw how a pink light began to erase the darkness around her; she turned and saw the shadow behind her retreat and gasp in pain, the light burning and threatening its very existence. The Shadow could offer resistance: she had already made a contact with Sakura and she would anchor her existence there, but it wasn't yet time for her to take action.

The others would suspect Sakura as she was the only one missing from the group, and she knew he would try to protect her, and they would fight each other until they fell apart completely.

She looked at the girl in front of her.

"We will meet again," the shadow said as it began to disappear, engulfed by the light.

Sakura watched with blank eyes as she heard someone else calling her, the voice she had silenced moments prior. But with the shadow gone, there was nothing to keep it away.

Hey eyes opened and she saw the ceiling of her room.

"Sakura!" Rider yelled as she entered her field of vision.

Her Servant seemed agitated, concerned even, yet it was hard to read her expression with that visor covering her eyes. She had a strange dream she could barely remember, but unlike the other times, she didn't feel afraid. On the contrary, she felt rather relieved.

Rider noticed this and she knew something was wrong.

"Rider?" Sakura asked slowly as she sat up on her bed, and Rider took a step back. "Is something the matter?"

The pink-haired woman didn't know what to say. Just seconds ago she had been fighting a dark void trying to reach her Master, just for it to suddenly disappear and for Sakura to wake as if nothing had happened.

Feelings began to battle inside of her as she looked out the window of the room, at what remained of the battlefield, at how the wounded Masters tried their best to gather themselves after such an onslaught. Yet she could feel two pairs of eyes looming over her: one belonging to Kirsche, who had sensed the traces of dark power and just happened to gaze in that direction, and the other belonging to Nero, who was looking at her distrustfully.

"Rider…?" Sakura called her once again.

Rider turned back.

"No, it's nothing," she said finally.

"Is that so?" Sakura said with an eerie lack of emotion that Rider hadn't seen in a long time.

Despite this, she remained silent in acceptance, realizing she didn't have the power to stop whatever was happening to Sakura. Still, Rider's duty was to protect her no matter what happened to Rider herself, even if she became an existence that threatened others. This was the only thing she could do for now.

* * *

Back with the Masters of Sixth and Blue, Iskandar bid them goodnight as his chariot rose into the sky, flying towards the direction of that flare which lit the sky just moments prior.

Kousuke looked around, trying to gauge the damage. No one seemed to have suffered any life-threatening injuries, but as he stared at the remains of Ramses' chariot he cursed under his breath over the loss.

On his end, Ramses was rather calm about the situation.

"You don't seem too bothered," Breno observed as he took off what remained of his coat.

"Well, while the fact that my chariot was destroyed annoys me," Ramses said as he saw it fade, "compared to my real mount that was nothing but a piece of scrap."

"I see," said Breno, nodding. He was about to walk away when he realized something. "Wait… you just said 'real mount?'"

Ramses looked at him and gave him a tired sigh.

"That's right. Are you deaf, peon?"

"So all this time you've been holding back?!" Breno yelled. "We died once because you didn't take this seriously?!"

Ramses regarded him impassively and before Breno could react he was being grabbed by the neck. The Spaniard felt the air being choked out of him.

The other Masters tensed at seeing this, but none dared move. One false step might mean the death of Breno, and those who knew his Servant's identity didn't think he would be so foolish as to kill him now, since he would disappear just seconds later.

"Don't forget your place, peon," Ramses said with a cold voice. "You expect me to use all my might against such brutes and thieves!"

He threw Breno to the ground and turned back into spirit form, ignoring the glare his Master was giving him. No one dared to comment on what just transpired.

Yet Odysseus wore a grin on his face, which made Leo wonder.

"What's so funny?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Nothing really…" Odysseus said in a suspicious way. "…It just made me think how some people can't be honest."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leo questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Odysseus didn't answer and just went on grinning.

Kousuke walked up to where Kirsche was standing with Tamamo. Kirsche recognized his presence and turned away from the window, shifting her gaze towards him.

On his end Kousuke felt rather embarrassed about what he was about to ask, but it couldn't be helped. So he decided to end it fast.

"Could you help us return to the base?" he asked with a sigh.

While no one had great injuries, they didn't have the means for transportation like the other time. They were exhausted and though they could spend the night in the base of the Blue Faction, there were things that Kousuke needed to discuss with his own faction, and he couldn't let Shirou and the others hear.

Kirsche remained silent for a second and that made him wonder if he had offended her, like he was treating her as a transportation device.

"Very well, I shall help you. I was about to go back either way," she said, not noticing Kousuke's relief. "I will just add it to the Hellhound's debt."

"Stop increasing my debt as you please!"

Kousuke heard Edward yell, wondering how he managed to listen in on their conversation. Kirsche then walked a few steps towards Edward and after confirming he could barely move she smiled to herself.

"Well, I suppose I could leave you here then," Kirsche said nonchalantly. "Good luck crawling back."

"You're still angry for using you as a decoy, aren't ya?"

Kirsche didn't answer right away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she finally said. "While it was denigrating to make do such a thing, I will accept it on the condition that you owe me, Hellhound. I am merely doing what we agreed,"

Her voice was so cold that it sent shivers down Edward's spine.

"Yep, definitely angry," he said with a sigh. "Alright, alright."

Edward raised his remaining arm in surrender, and Kirsche smiled. Seeing him submit like that was quite enjoyable.

"Wait…"

A weak voice interrupted her line of thought, and Kirsche turned to see Rin.

"Oh, Miss Tohsaka, was it?" Kirsche said, not really caring too much about her.

"Who…who are you?" Rin asked with a shaken voice.

She had realized the similitude from the very moment Kirsche had introduced herself, yet at that moment it was just a guess. However, the moment Kousuke admitted they came from different worlds, she became certain of it.

Kirsche just addressed Rin with a smile, well aware what she meant by her question, but while she didn't resent Rin in any way, she didn't have any good reasons to answer her either.

"I thought I had already introduced myself. I'm Kirsche…"

"That's not what I meant!" Rin yelled, cutting her off.

Kirsche's expression darkened.

"Then what do you mean, Miss Tohsaka?"

"…Is that you, Sakura?"

A small laugh was the only answer Kirsche gave her.

"What… what's so funny?" Rin demanded, not understanding her reaction.

"Sorry… It's just that such a question lost its meaning a long time ago."

"What?"

"I mean, I don't see why you would even care."

"Of course I care! She is…"

And in that moment Rin found herself unable to finish that sentence. Seeing her fall into silence, Kirsche continued.

"Sakura Matou doesn't have any connection to the Tohsakas. Even if I answer your question and I say I am Sakura Matou, what would you do?"

Shirou's eyes widened as he noted the resemblance between the two. The hair and eye color were different, but her features really were similar.

He was about to speak when Edward grabbed his arm and narrowed his eyes, telling him without words to remain silent as he used him to stand.

'We don't have a say in this,' was the message his brother's eyes were giving him.

Atosaki and Arturia were taken back a little by this, but understood that they couldn't interrupt them. But for Nero and Ilya, this was something that was bound to happen, and the sooner it was over the better.

Kirsche spoke in a calm, flat voice, but for Rin each of her words were like red-hot knives stabbing into her, because she was speaking the truth. Besides simple curiosity, she didn't have any right to question her, and so she didn't have to answer.

"Because, Miss Tohsaka, as far as I know, she was thrown away."

Shirou couldn't hide his surprise, but more than her words was the way she spoke them: completely devoid of any feeling, as if she was talking about someone else and not herself. That tone was what shocked Rin the most. She could understand if she harbored hatred because then at least she would feel something towards her, but such dead coldness was beyond that. Kirsche really didn't feel anything towards her, and that lack of emotion created a void in Rin's heart.

She grit her teeth and tried to speak, but just like before she found herself unable to say anything.

Kirsche stopped paying her any attention and turn towards Ilya.

"Goodnight, you are welcome to come visit us any time," she said with a warm smile.

Ilya smiled back. "I will, you come over whenever you want, too."

"Yagami, gather the others," Kirsche said as she began to walk away.

"She is quite bossy." Tamamo complained.

The rest of the members of the Sixth Faction gathered around Kirsche before being swallowed by one of her dark portals and disappeared.

* * *

Iskandar arrive along with Waver to the place where he had seen the flare light the sky, and his eyes widened in shock after seeing such destruction.

He saw the smoke coming from the scorched ground and for Waver, even getting close made him feel as if he were being baked in an oven, and the very ambience made him sick to his stomach.

"Hey kid, are you alright?!" Iskandar shouted when he noticed Waver about to collapse.

"I advise you to leave this place, King of Conquerors."

A voice made Iskandar look around him, and he found Situla nearby, observing Waver with quite a curious look. Just like Antares he had managed to get close to him without drawing his attention.

"Who are you?"

Situla looked at him and bowed slightly towards him.

"I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Situla, and I am the Counter Guardian in charge of the Black Faction."

Iskandar observed him warily, yet he felt a more amicable aura coming from him than the other Counter Guardians he had met before.

Situla could tell Iskandar had many questions, yet he spoke before he could ask any of them.

"As I said before, I highly advise you to leave. This area is filled with radiation."

As those words left his mouth, Iskandar turned his chariot around and began to fly through the sky at lightning speed.

Situla sighed and disappeared in a plume of water.

* * *

Somewhere far away, in one of the jungles of South America, Antares continued to fly through the vegetation at such speed that he couldn't be seen by anyone. He got to the deepest part of the jungle where there was barely any light. A few meters north was a small village, but he had no business there.

He landed in a place where the plant life had changed completely, covered by an alien, crystalline substance. From his position, the zone resembled a spider web, but while he found it beautiful to a degree, he also considered it an insult since it so vastly changed what she had created.

He continued to walk to the center of the area, "Crystal Valley"—that was the name humans had given this place. In the middle of the valley he found a large, round crystal object similar to what he heard humans call UFOs.

He couldn't deny that the being in front of him was something beyond this planet, so the definition wasn't entirely wrong, but at the same time, for someone like him who knew the truth about this being, those words couldn't even begin to describe it.

"Wake up ORT." Antares spoke in an unknown language.

The alien in front of him began to open itself up and its appearance changed into one resembling a spider. Its very existence was an enigma to present humanity and also a threat: Type Mercury, one of the Aristoteles, also known as the Ultimate Ones. It had arrived on Earth five thousand years prior to the actual era.

"Is it the appointed time yet?" Mercury spoke in the same unknown language as Antares.

"No."

"Then leave. I had to return to my slumber."

"Can the appointed time be avoided?"

"If it could, we wouldn't have been called."

"I don't understand why she has to pay for their mistakes!" Antares yelled.

Mercury remained silent and began to revert to its original state.

"Answer me!"

"You who are similar to us already know the answer."

Those were its last words before returning to its sanctuary.

Antares cursed under his breath. As he expected, his journey here had been useless. Normally he wouldn't have been so affected, but he had seen it; he knew the prophecy that caused ORT to come to Earth. Humanity would eventually kill the planet and in its dying moments she would call the Ultimate Ones to eradicate humanity, yet the humans would still fight back.

Until that night he hadn't even considered this possibility, but seeing Rin's new form he began to see what the future could hold for them. While she had managed to beat one easily, she didn't know how many others of her could exist, and if that was really all they were capable of.

These thoughts made him want to begin the purge immediately, yet his oath didn't let him. It frustrated him that he couldn't do anything, and he couldn't help but curse humanity's evolution. Their evolution was a great strength, but at the same time it posed a volatile threat to anything and everything around them.

Yet another feeling invaded his mind: confusion. He had never been fond of humanity, but at the beginning he saw them act in perfect symbiosis with the earth. Why had their relation changed so much?

In his eyes humanity was at fault, but the reasons for such change continued to evade him. While he kept thinking about this he disappeared from the Crystal Valley, wondering what he had been seeking from the very start.

* * *

Back on the island, Iskandar landed atop a building far from the poisoned hell he had visited just seconds prior. Situla appeared moments later as he took a look at the sick Waver.

The Counter Guardian expected Iskandar to refuse his help, but he didn't. He questioned his decision, and Iskandar answered simply.

"If you wanted him dead, he would already be so."

Situla couldn't help but laugh a little at such a declaration and continued to examine him.

"He will be fine," Situla said after a few seconds. "I had already begun to clean the environment from the radiation, and he wasn't there so long that it can't be treated."

Iskandar sighed in relief.

"What happened there?" he then asked.

"I don't know the details myself. But it seems like that man's doing," Situla said with a sigh. "Really, he should think about the person in charge of cleanup."

"That man?" Iskandar questioned, having an idea who that was, but seeking confirmation.

"I think you know him as Antares," Situla said carefully.

"So it was that guy," Iskandar said, a little worried. "I thought none of you could fight in this war."

"That is only half correct; we aren't allowed to, but we technically can," Situla began to explain. "Should the rules be broken, Antares is in charge of punishing us. Any of us."

Yet this explanation confused Iskandar even more, at least for a second. The fact that the guardian was fighting someone could only mean he wasn't fighting a participant in the war.

"…So there is a third external power…" he said in a whisper.

Situla didn't hear him and after he finished treating Waver, he disappeared without another word.

* * *

Back in the mansion of the Blue Faction, almost everyone had returned to their bedrooms except for Rin, who was sitting in the living room, looking at the ceiling clad in darkness.

Kirsche's words continued to resound inside her mind. She really couldn't deny that her question was pointless, to the extent that she wondered if she had expected something different to happen. She could blame her actions on the desire to know about the sudden change that girl suffered, but there was something else. After witnessing such coldness, she couldn't deny this was a completely different person.

"Is she really?" a voice inside her head asked.

Rin wanted to retort at the voice but she couldn't deny it. While she had kept an eye on Sakura since she left their house, she barely knew anything about her besides her school life.

"People change with time. How you can expect her to be the same girl you knew before?"

The voice began to rattle around in her head, and as she tried to deny it, another thought popped up: was the Sakura who smiled all the time, like everything was alright, really real? Or was that just a mask and the real one was someone like Kirsche?

"Tohsaka?" Shirou's voice halted her thoughts. She turned towards him and she saw his expression change. "Are… are you crying?"

In the moment she noticed something moist under her eyes Shirou ran towards her from the door of the living room and gently wiped her tears. Just after that she rested her head on his chest.

Shirou knew why she was being like that. She was too stubborn to admit Kirsche's words had affected her so much, but that didn't mean she would be unshaken.

"Hey, Shirou…" Rin said weakly, still hiding her face. "…You want to ask me things, right?"

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

He would be lying if he said that he was shocked to hear Kirsche was Sakura. She didn't admit it, but it was quite obvious even for someone like him. He had also learned some parts of the history the two shared, that they were sisters.

Thinking back, it made some sense. After seeing Kirsche he could see she resembled Rin more than the one he knew, and from the beginning he hadn't noticed much resemblance with Shinji. He had just accepted his words when he said they were siblings.

"It's a tradition all the families follow," Rin began. "…Only one heir can inherit the magic crest of the family."

Shirou didn't know that much about traditions, but he just listened quietly. Rin took his silence as a signal to continue.

"That is because the more people capable of using a particular type of magecraft there are, the weaker it becomes. Also each generation put their magic circuits inside of it, it allow us to be able to use the spells developed by them, in other words the symbol of all the struggle an history of the family of a magi."

"Then…" Shirou didn't know if he wanted to know, but he still asked. "…What happens with the other children in these cases?"

"That depends. They can still learn magic that isn't related to the family and continue with another's, or they can also live a normal life without learning magic, and just support their family from the sidelines."

Her answers confused Shirou.

"Then why was Sakura sent away? Why didn't the two of you remain together?"

Rin bit down on her lip, but since her face was still hidden Shirou didn't notice this.

"Father saw great potential in both of us. According to Kirei, he believed it was a waste to leave one of us without proper guidance. So he gave her to the Matou family."

"But…that…" Shirou didn't know what to say.

He couldn't understand such reasoning. Moreover, coming from their own father, he couldn't see any point in such actions. It honestly sounded more like trading cards than kids.

"That is something common between magi. They exchange their sons and daughters in order to increase the strength of their family. Still, it's rather uncommon for a family with an expansive history to accept an outsider."

"Why did they take Sakura? I mean, Shinji…"

"He isn't a magician. The Matou bloodline was all but extinguished, and that is why they requested that my father hand over Sakura."

Shirou's eyes widened. That explained why she was here instead of Shinji, and that also explained why they couldn't identify him in the beginning.

Certainly he couldn't know the entire story, but there were some clues he could have seen before, like Sakura being able to summon the very same Rider Shinji had, although at the moment he believed it was because of the catalyst used.

But he could have tried to learn more, to care a little more. It was like his brother had told him before: he had left people behind because he had been focusing too much on protecting and saving others.

"I… I'm the worst, aren't I?" Rin said in a whisper.

Shirou just held her tightly. He didn't know what to say, and while he had to admit Sakura's situation was something that shouldn't have happened, he had to speak his mind.

"Tohsaka…" he began, "Tohsaka hasn't done anything wrong!"

Rin's eyes widened. Shirou felt his shirt getting wet and he could feel her body shake a little.

"It's not your fault what happened," he affirmed.

He wasn't sure he was making any sense, but he was trying his best to express his feelings.

Rin didn't say anything more, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," she said in a whisper.

They didn't notice a pair of purple eyes watching them from behind the door.

"So you have chosen her, senpai," Sakura said in a weak voice before returning to her room.

* * *

Kousuke saw how the rest of the inhabitants of the house decided to retire for the night. But before they left, he went over to where Nero was helping Edward stand and walk.

"I need you to accompany me somewhere in the afternoon," Kousuke said, rather serious.

Edward had an idea about he was referring to.

"Sure."

"Kousuke-san?" Atosaki asked him. "Is something going to happen?"

"I'm not sure," he said grimly, making the girl frown. "But don't worry, this is mostly a precaution."

Atosaki just nodded and followed Edward and the rest as they went to recuperate.

Once they were gone, Tamamo guided Kousuke to the living room and pushed him back into the couch as she sat on his lap.

"Well, I think we have some time for ourselves. My dear master," she said with a seductive smile.

"Tamamo?"

"You are tired, right, master?" she said while licking her lips. "Don't worry, I will help you with that."

Kousuke knew that resistance was futile, and it wasn't as if he didn't like it either. With all the things that had been happening lately, they barely had time for themselves. And so he simply went along with the turn of the tides.

* * *

Tokiomi was listening to Kayneth's incessant rattle, explaining how the system of the Black Faction worked. He had to agree it was very well done, and even wondered how they managed to develop something like that.

They had been working for a few days already in a room Kayneth had chosen as a workshop, since he decided to attend to this personally. They were almost finished unraveling the mysteries of the homunculus system the Yggdmillennia had developed.

It wasn't completely impossible. In documents from the previous wars it was shown that the three families had benefits and could modify the rules to a degree, but that was because they themselves had begun the ritual. Actually it would be impossible to even try to steal this system, since its defense was considered perfect.

It was a good thing they had been granted access before, since they protected their control from being taken. That was a fatal flaw of theirs when it came to someone trying to take control from the inside. That was understandable, as they only had that privilege to cling to, and for possible enemies to obtain it was just a case of bad luck.

Even with the flaw of the system that allowed modifications from the inside, it was quite hard for anyone to be able to use it. Yet there was someone capable of doing it on that island: Kayneth. While he was an arrogant person he was still one of the greatest magi of the current era.

In the beginning he had used a method similar to the one he used to modify his contract during his own war, allowing for dual Masters. So for him, something like changing the control of this system was rather easy.

"It is finally done!" he proclaimed with a wide smile on his face. "I deciphered the system, and it's just waiting for my order to change sides."

"Impressive. As expected of Lord El-Melloi," Tokiomi said with a smile. "Kirei-kun, go report to Emiya-san."

The last part was spoken as he turned towards Kirei standing in the door of the room. The priest nodded as he exited.

* * *

Atosaki's eyes shifted from the boy in front of her to the floor as she leveraged the situation, wondering if she should express her concerns.

"Edward-san…" she said weakly.

"What is it?" he asked as he continued to match his pace with Nero, who was helping him walk.

"Is Kirsche really related to Rin-ch… Rin-san?"

Atosaki didn't know her old friend had a sister. In the family portraits she had seen in Rin's house, it only appeared to be her and her parents, but after hearing the story of the sister being thrown away, she could understand.

"I don't know the whole story, but they are sisters who were separated at an early age."

"W…why?"

"I'm not really sure. It has to be something to do with traditions, and I've never cared about things like that."

"I see." Her brow furrowed a little at that answer.

"…What?" Edward asked, noticing her surprise.

"It's just that I never expected that sort of sentiment from a regular magician."

"That is because my praetor isn't like regular magi," Nero said with a triumphant smile.

"Ah, is that so?" Atosaki smiled nervously, afraid she had insulted him in some way.

"She isn't wrong to a certain degree," Edward said after thinking about it for a while. "Well, in the eyes of an expert like Kousuke or Kirsche or even Breno, I'm a really lousy mage."

Atosaki tilted her head in confusion. Noticing this, Edward continued.

"If you observe my power and compare it to anyone else's, more than magic it's closer to fire-bending. In the world of magi I would categorize as a specialist."

"I see," she said while nodding, her eyes sparkling at the sudden revelation. "Magic involves so many things. There's a lot I have to learn."

"Now that you mention it, what was that thing you used earlier?"

"It's… something I was born with. I never used it much since it always reminded me that… um, well, let's just say it's something I'm practicing in my free time. It's not much, but I at least I can use it to defend myself."

"Someone I used to know used something similar." Edward's expression turned sour for a second. "He was a really annoying bastard, but I respected him. If you manage to develop it well, it should help you grow."

Atosaki nodded with a small laugh, and Edward smiled seeing her like that, but suddenly her expression shifted.

"Edward-san, you knew about that black thing from before?" Atosaki asked tentatively, stopping.

Nero's words had made her realize he knew something, but far from not trusting him, she was afraid he would try to take everything on his shoulders, and she wanted to help him.

Edward remained silent for a couple seconds.

"Please, you can trust me, you can talk to me! I know I might not have a lot to offer, but…"

"It's not that, Atosaki, I do trust you." Edward cut her off. In fact, if he had to choose someone after Nero, he would say he trusted her most. "But this…"

Before he could finish, they heard a sobbing noise coming from down the hallway.

* * *

"So they finished," Kiritsugu said while checking the cameras of his familiars around the Yggdmillennia stronghold.

"Yes, that is my master's report."

"I see then. Inform him that after the other groups are gone, we kill Kayneth first."

Kirei nodded as exited the room. As he prepared to go back to Tokiomi, someone stood in his way.

"So you are reduced to be a mere errand boy, Kirei?" Gilgamesh said with a curious grin.

"With all due respect, your majesty, I am Tokiomi Tohsaka's ally. All I do is based on that."

Gilgamesh laughed a little at his words.

"Kirei, you are not a man who likes to serve others," Gilgamesh said, walking over, and when he was right next to him he whispered in his ear. "After all, someone who relishes in others' suffering cannot be a mere follower."

Kirei's eyes widened as he separated from the King of Heroes. But it wasn't because he was disgusted at the idea of being accused like that, but how easily the King of Heroes managed to see through him.

"Why are you so surprised, Kirei?" Gilgamesh said with a smirk. "What kind of King would I be if I couldn't see through the soul of a single man?"

Kirei couldn't spout any words or comebacks, confusion filling every thought inside his mind.

"It seems you are in denial, yet it is only a matter of time, Kirei."

"I… I…"

Gilgamesh didn't wait for a response and began to walk away. He had expected a more interesting reaction.

"But let me tell you. Whether you continue to deny yourself or accept it, you won't obtain an answer while following someone like Tokiomi."

And with that he disappeared in a flash of golden light.

* * *

Heroic Spirit Emiya was standing at the top of a building near the center of the city, waiting for someone. While he waited he continued to look at the remains of destruction throughout the city with his reinforced eyes.

"At the end, nothing will remain."

He wasn't being pessimistic, but rather, realistic. They had been at this point before, and they had seen this much collateral damage. He had created a part of it, more than anything he had seen before. At this rate, the fire he managed to survive all those years ago would remain a good memory in comparison.

While he continued to gaze at the city, he felt a presence behind him. He turned to see a young man clad in black.

"What do you want?" Kage asked him darkly.

"We need to talk."

* * *

For Clare, nightmares were a common thing, not only for her, but for her brother too. Sometimes they were light dreams, only flashes of her life before she lost everything. On those days she and her brother would wake up and sleep next to each other, or even go to Atosaki's room, or stay with Kohaku.

Yet there were nights where she dreamed of her mother very vividly. She would appear and call Clare's name at the beginning. Clare would get closer to her, and everything would be normal, but that scene only lasted a few seconds before her mother's appearance changed. She would turn into a bloodied corpse trying to tear her apart, and all those times she would always say the same thing.

"This is your fault!"

She would wake up shaking, with tears flowing from her eyes, yet instead of crying freely she would cover her mouth and leave the room. She would wander through the mansion and when she was sure she was alone she would let the floodgates loose.

This night was one of them.

"Clare?" Edward's voice halted her crying, and she raised her head, barely able to see the black-haired boy near her in that dark hallway, accompanied by a blond woman.

On Edward's side, seeing the child sobbing on the ground, cradling her knees with her arms was something that made him remember his past.

Nero let go of her Master and took a step back.

"Clare-chan…!" Atosaki gasped at seeing her like that, but Nero stopped her from getting closer.

Atosaki wondered why, but then she noticed that the little girl hadn't moved and was still staring at him.

Edward knelt in front of her and moved closer so she could recognize him. The moment she did her eyes widened.

She still disliked him, since he still looked at her with those eyes full of pity. And while she didn't wish anything bad on him, she didn't want him near her either, so she averted her eyes.

"You had a nightmare, right?" he said in a calm voice.

Clare didn't answer.

"It's normal to have them."

Clare began to shake. She didn't want to hear any more.

"It's cold here. Let's take you back to your room. Try to rest a lit—"

"Shut up!" Clare yelled, making Atosaki and Nero flinch. She turned to him and glared. "Stop talking to me like you know me! Stop looking at me with such pity! Just leave me alone!"

Edward didn't say anything and just wrapped his good arm around her petite figure.

"That is something I can't do."

He held her closer to him, having her head rest on his chest.

"I mean, how could I? Leave you alone? Just like me, you lost people you hold dear. I know the pain, the sadness, how you want everything to be over no matter the cost."

He hugged her tighter and as she continued to listen to him, she began to move her arms to answer the hug.

"The nightmares won't stop!" she yelled while crying.

"They will, it will take time, but they will eventually fade."

"I want to forget…."

"That is the only thing you can't do."

"Why…? It hurts so much…."

"Because when you forget, you forget everything, both the good and bad moments, and if you don't remember them, who will?"

"…Bu… but…"

"The pain will eventually fade. And though it won't disappear completely, just trust me." He took his hand from her head and pushed away the hair from her forehead. "At the end, the good memories always make the painful ones leave."

And with that he kissed her on the forehead. The little girl was surprised by that sudden action, but didn't complain and went back to rest her head on his chest,

"It feels warm…" she said as she stopped crying and wiped her tears.

Edward make a sign to Nero to come closer to help him.

"Atosaki, my praetor really trusts you," Nero said in her ear before advancing. "But for him, Sakura Matou represents his greatest regret, and for me she is the person I despise the most."

Atosaki was confused by her words but didn't say anything as Nero helped Edward stand along with Clare.

"Edward-san, I will take her to her room," Atosaki said, finally gathering her wits.

"If it's not too much of a problem. You're tired, right?"

"There's no problem at all, and honestly, you're probably in worse condition than me," Atosaki said while taking Clare from him into her arms. "I still think you should let me heal you."

"Don't worry, I've been through worse. Maybe tomorrow, when you aren't so tired."

Atosaki saw them leave, and the little girl wrapped her arms around her neck and rested her head next to hers.

"This feels warm too."

"I'm glad it does," Atosaki whispered, hugging her tighter. "I'm here for you. We're all here for you. Just stay, where it's safe and warm…"

* * *

Cattleya observed the ticking clock on the wall of the living room in the new apartment they were using. Her sister was still recovering and resting in one of the back rooms. She should have been doing the same, but she couldn't sleep at all.

She had underestimated Antares, never expecting him to have so much power, and while he didn't have the power to actually kill her, she didn't have a way to do him in either. Such a deadlock was bothering her.

Zelretch had left a few minutes ago without saying anything, after she said she didn't want to bring her friends here. Not that it was a big surprise, knowing him, but it still irked her how secretive he was.

"It's his fault the situation has escalated to this point," she muttered to herself.

Whether he intended to or not, he had informed Alaya that he would intervene. In other words, he had put them on the radar, and that only made her work harder.

At that very moment, Zelretch emerged from a portal along with a pale-skinned young lady unconscious in his arms. She had silvery hair and wore a long-sleeved blue top, a red skirt that covered her knees, and black, low-heeled shoes.

"So now you go around kidnapping girls, how low can you fall?" Cattleya remarked, raising a dubious eyebrow.

But instead of meeting her teasing gaze, he remained serious.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes," he said as he left the girl on one of the couches of the room before collapsing on the floor.

Cattleya moved towards him but he signaled for her to keep her distance.

"She might be our last hope. We need the King of Heroes, and she can convince him to fight alongside us."

"Who is she?"

"Naomi Tohsaka."

Cattleya's eyes went wide as her gaze shifted towards the sleeping girl.

"What…what have you done, Zelretch?"

"What needed to be done."

Neither of them said any more and as silence filled the room, the night came to a close.

* * *

Well another one ready thing are going a little slower than i tough but all is there a for a reason well please review


	34. Chapter 33 Ally or Foe?

Chapter 33 Enemy or Ally?

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche von Einzbern

Topographic Ocean - Breno da Rocha

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Magister Fay - Cattleya Velvet

xo-Lenia585 - Naomi Tohsaka

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

Kage entered through the window of his room as the first rays of the sun began to appear. It was rather bothersome, but he had left without anyone noticing, and he wanted to keep it that way.

He removed his battered coat from his shoulders before collapsing atop his bed, his right arm covering his eyes, trying to block the sunlight coming in from the window. While he tried to rest a little, the conversation he had with Emiya was still fresh in his mind.

As he closed his eyes he remembered the events of a few hours ago.

"We need to talk," the Archer had said.

"I don't care what you want to say; I only want to know if what's in this note is true."

Emiya noticed how the young man held out the small note he had handed him in the chaos of the battle's aftermath. Yet Kage's eyes didn't convey any trust; if anything, he agreed to come only because of the message.

'I know the identity of the shadow.'

Emiya didn't answer right away and just showed a bitter smile. Of course he knew, and while he would sometimes wish that wasn't the case—no, if he could choose, he would rather wish to be ignorant of the whole situation like his other self.

He had met her before, losing count of how many times more since then. Some people said that only the first kill was hard, and after that it got easier. Emiya was a living example of that belief.

"It's true."

He sometimes thought the fact that he was summoned every time she turned into a monster and began to try to swallow the earth in complete darkness was a mere coincidence, or just another part of his punishment for making such a stupid deal. If there was any consolation, it would that it was no longer her. Maybe they had the same face and the same voice, but he was sure it wasn't her anymore.

"Then speak." Kage's voice took him out of his thoughts. "Who is the enemy?"

Emiya looked into those cold eyes and remembered why he had chosen to tell him alone, instead of the others. Those eyes were the same as his, both the eyes of people accustomed to death and capable of doing anything in order to eliminate evil, no matter the betrayals necessary.

The two of them were pragmatic individuals.

"The Master of our Rider, Sakura Matou," Emiya said simply.

Kage didn't seem react in any way, no emotion shown. He only moved his right hand towards his chin as he pondered the information. He began to remember the introduction between the two groups.

The image of the scared girl who had suffered a panic attack popped inside his mind.

"The purple-haired girl?" he asked for confirmation.

"That's correct."

"So it was her…" Kage mused.

"You don't seem surprised."

"She acted weird since the very moment we met. She was also the only one missing during the fight."

He barely knew the girl so he couldn't be certain, but the fact that someone of her own group was saying this made it quite believable. Still, Kage didn't discard the fact that all of this could simply be a ploy to redirect the suspicion on to another.

"How exactly do you know it's her?"

"Let's just say that in a way, I'm similar to you guys," Emiya began as he turned back towards the city. "Servants can come from anywhere in time; past, present or future, it doesn't matter to us."

"You haven't answered me."

"I've met her before. I am not a regular Heroic Spirit; I am a man who made a pact with the World to become a guardian."

Kage's eyes widened.

"Then you…"

"That's right. She was one of the threats I was summoned to fight as part of the Counter Force."

Kage grit his teeth. The people who trained him had covered the basics about Servants in preparation for the war, including the Counter Guardians. Yet that wasn't what bothered him. If what this man said was true, then that girl would become a threat that could destroy the world itself.

And as the Counter Force was only deployed against threats that would destroy the world, it was a means to preserving the earth, but not the people living in it. At this point, the war would no longer matter, and death would be all that awaited them.

"So that was it then," Kage said with a sigh. "Then why are you only saying this to me? What's your goal here?"

He had chosen to believe in Emiya's words for the time being. He had experienced it firsthand, the power of the Shadow. If it hadn't been for Tamamo's spell, they would have all been swallowed whole.

Emiya turned back to him.

"To kill her."

"Didn't it disappear?"

"I don't know what that fox-girl did, but I think it's just a matter of time before it reappears stronger than ever."

"I see, so you'll target the user instead of the power," Kage said to himself. "But that doesn't explain why you're telling only me."

"I thought you would be the one most likely to accept my plan."

Back home, Kage kept thinking there was more to this, but decided to focus on the matter at hand, listening to what Emiya had to say. Because he needed to survive, he needed to continue living until he found and killed that man. Until that moment, he wouldn't allow himself to die.

"So, what are you planning?"

Kage opened his eyes after hearing a voice, sensing someone on the other side of his door. He was proven right when a light knock hit the wood.

"Who are you?" he asked coldly.

He didn't get a reply as the door opened, revealing Ginevra.

"So rude," she said, faking an insulted face. "Is that how you greet everyone?"

Kage glared at her.

"What business do you have with me?" he asked in a neutral tone.

"Nothing…" Ginevra said with a chuckle. "…I was just curious if your meeting was… fruitful."

Kage's eyes widened for a second.

"Drop the charade," he said.

"Can't blame me for being informed. It's part of my job as your supervisor."

"Who else knows?"

"No one, at least for now."

Kage narrowed his gaze at hearing her carefree tone. "Is that a threat?"

"No, whatever you and that faker are planning doesn't concern me, so I shall remain like I always do a mere spectator…" she said while leaving the room. "…At least for now."

As she finished she disappeared into the hallway.

Kage didn't move. If she wanted to spread the word she would have done so already, so he concluded it was safe to believe she spoke the truth, but the 'at least for now' part was something he couldn't ignore.

"Just what are you planning?" he said in a whisper.

Little did he know, at the very same moment he asked himself that question, someone else was asking it as well.

* * *

"What are you planning, my lady?" Ruler asked while in spirit form as Ginevra continued to walk towards her room.

"Oh my, do you doubt my words?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to be disrespectful…"

"It's alright," Ginevra cut her off. "It's actually good to know you aren't as naïve as some legends say you are."

While Jeanne saw the good in everybody, she didn't deny that there was also darkness in them. She personally believed that Ginevra wouldn't do anything to directly damage what she considered her 'toys', but she couldn't help but doubt her intentions.

"I don't know if I should take that as praise or an insult."

"It's praise, believe me," Ginevra confirmed as she stopped. "Don't worry. I will remain true to my word, I won't interfere."

"May I ask the reason?"

Ginevra's smile grew subtly wider.

"I wanna see it," she said, as her expression turned a little dark, "which side those kids are going to take. Will they choose to save that other me, or will they choose to kill her?"

Jeanne materialized behind her with an expression of utter shock.

"What…?"

"It's a simple choice really, but the consequences shall create a greater conflict in which the faction you belong to probably won't matter anymore."

"If… if you know that, shouldn't you stop this?!" Jeanne yelled, enraged.

Ginevra just looked at her, trying to understand what she had just said.

"That is impossible. Kage already made his choice, and the others will follow shortly."

"But…"

"No worries, I won't let my source of amusement get taken away. If things escalate I shall lend a hand."

"I still think we should do something."

"If I tried anything else, we would have those colleagues of yours breathing down our necks. And as I remember, you were the one who said to keep a low profile against them."

"True…"

"If anything, I'm curious about their choices, especially what choice my sister is going to make."

* * *

Edward moved his left arm and while it still hurt, the very act of being able to move it was good. He was sitting on the bed in his room, and while he didn't expect the girl in front of him to keep her word about healing him, he wasn't going to complain.

"Thanks Atosaki," he said with a smile, looking at the black-haired girl as she concentrated on releasing the energy flow.

"No problem at all. I wasn't sure if I could help, but I'm glad you're moving better now."

"Yep. Ah, hey Nero, can you give me my glove?" he said, turning towards his Servant, but she seemed lost in thought. "Nero?"

Nero seemed to react after hearing his voice.

"Sorry… I was distracted."

"Don't worry about it, but could you toss me my glove next to you?"

Nero did, and the very moment he put it on an illusion began to cover his black arm, making it resemble a more human one.

Atosaki looked at it with amazement, not knowing that things like that existed, trying to understanding why he always had it with him.

"Alright, ready. Let's go down," he said, standing up and walking to the door.

"I'm kind of wondering, why did you wear bandages on your arm when you could just use your glove?"

"Well, it would be weird for someone to have a perfectly normal arm and be unable to move it right?"

"That... that's true! Hm, now that I think about it, you seem rather attached to it," she said with a smile.

"It was gift from someone very important," he said while looking at it as they descended the stairs towards the living room. "Right, how was Clare after I left both of you?"

"She calmed down a little after talking with you, but I stayed with her and her brother in their room to make sure she was alright."

"That's a relief. The first days are the hardest… Sorry for the trouble."

"I already told you it was okay. I want to help them just like you," Atosaki said gently.

"It was my fault to begin with, that she and her brother had to suffer, so this is the least I can do," Edward said as his voice turned serious.

Atosaki's eyes widened at his words.

"That wasn't your…!"

"It was, and don't misunderstand, I'm not pitying myself. I'm just stating clear facts. Had I fought harder against Pleiades, nothing would have happened. I'm sure Kousuke also thinks the same."

Atosaki was left speechless as she watched him go into the living room.

"But… you couldn't have…" She didn't know what to say. No matter how she tried to deny his words, part of her knew he was right, that he held some share of responsibility for what happened. "Neither you nor Yagami-san… should…"

Edward noticed her expression and sighed. It kind of made him remember the expression of a certain girl with silver hair who also worried about him in the same way.

"Don't worry too much," he said with a grin. "This is how I take responsibility for my mistakes. I definitely won't let anything else be taken from that girl."

"Those are nice words, Praetor, but that girl didn't seem too fond of either of us," said Nero.

Atosaki saw how he lowered his head in shame.

"Yeah… there is that…"

"Did I come at a bad moment?"

A voice both Masters recognized made them turn towards the door, where they found a magenta-haired woman along with a blue-clad spearman.

"Bazett-san!" Atosaki exclaimed in awe as she walked up to her. "Good afternoon. May I ask what brings you here?"

Bazett looked at her with confused eyes. "Didn't you ask me to teach you how to use runes?"

"Eh?" Atosaki was really surprised by her words. "I didn't think… now…?"

On their end, Lancer and Nero sighed seeing this.

"Hey Master, this is why I told ya that you need to call first," Lancer said as he looked around.

"But Lancer, if it's training, then the sooner the better, right?"

"You only think that way because you don't know how to have fun."

"Wha…" Bazett face turned red in a matter of seconds. "I… I know how to have fun, Lancer."

"Really?" Lancer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't fun make of me!"

While the pair continue to argue, the other two Masters along with their Servants couldn't help but think they were seeing something they shouldn't.

"Ex…excuse me, Bazett-san," Atosaki called. "I don't mind if we begin right now. Instead, let me apologize for the inconvenience."

She finished by bowing her head, secretly feeling excited on the inside.

Bazett stopped talking with Lancer as she nodded. "By the way Hellhound, that Yagami guy told me that he was waiting for you outside."

"That's my cue to leave. Let's go, Saber," he said as he began to walk away, but before leaving he signaled for Lancer to get closer. "Tell Bazett to hold back a little."

Lancer laughed at his words. "I already told her that, but I don't know if she will listen."

"No really, her punches hurt like hell. One of them broke a couple of my ribs," Edward said, remembering scenes from the past.

Lancer laughed a little louder. "Right, you kids said you came from other worlds. You managed to survive one of her blows with only that? You're a tough kid."

"That and he is as stubborn as that Master of yours," Nero interjected.

"Don't joke about that, Saber. She tried to smash my head in after I survived the first blow, as if I were alright."

Lancer looked at him with a wide grin. "Yeah, that sounds like something she would do. Well, you shouldn't worry too much, kid."

"Why is that?"

"Because if anything were to happen, that guy would definitely keep her safe," Lancer said while pointing at his counterpart, Lance, who stood behind Atosaki with a neutral expression.

Edward didn't say more as he left the house, finding Kousuke where Bazett had indicated he'd be, along with Tamamo.

"You took your time," Kousuke greeted him.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

He looked over at Tamamo, who was now wearing a long white-striped pink jacket that almost completely covered her black shorts. She also wore long black socks that covered up to her thighs, along with matching black shoes. Her ears and tail were completely hidden, so if anyone were to look at her she could pass as a normal teenage girl.

"You really lack shame, princess, are you going out wearing that?" she said as she looked at Nero's dress.

Surprisingly Nero didn't seem to be bothered by her comment and just stood there silently.

"Nero?" Edwards asked, noting something was off with her.

"Sorry Praetor, there has been something on my mind."

"I see, but I also think you should change your clothes," he said, and then whispered with a gentle smile, "and then you can tell me what's bothering you later, okay?"

She nodded as her dress turned into crimson V-neck blouse with black jeans and red heels.

"She really likes red, doesn't she?" Kousuke asked the Hellhound.

He laughed a little. "Yeah, that's something we have in common."

Kousuke grinned before coming back to the issue at hand. "Well… you know where I want you to accompany me, right?"

Edward's expression turned serious. "Yeah… Though I really wish we didn't need to go."

"Edward-kun, I can tell you knew that thing we fought last night."

"I've found her before, and seeing how you knew how to handle it as well, I assume in your case there was something similar."

"Yeah, but it's still too early to make a decision about it."

"I agree. This could make our so-called alliance come to an end before it even began."

Kousuke saw his expression and patted him on the shoulder.

"But that isn't what's worrying you the most," he said with a smile, remembering how he saw that look before. "You two kind of resemble each other in a way."

"What are you talking about?"

Kousuke didn't answer right away but began to walk along.

"Who knows?" he began as he suddenly stopped and turned around. "After meeting you, I can't help but think that more than similar, you both are two sides of the same coin."

Kousuke wasn't wrong. A man made of blades and one made of flames; a man who followed the ideals of his father and one who rejected them; a Hero of Justice and the Keeper of Hell. They were more than opposites where two beings represented what the other lacked, rather an opposition which brought equilibrium between the two.

* * *

Naomi felt as if her head had been split into two. She felt dizzy and as she opened her eyes the light of the room actually stung, forcing her to shut them again.

The second time she opened her eyes, slowly, they began to adjust and she realized she was lying on a soft peach-colored sofa. She tried to get up, but at the very moment she tried she found it was useless; her body didn't seem to have any strength left in it. She started to look at her surroundings, and it didn't even take her even a few seconds to realize she wasn't in her own room anymore. Her first thought was that someone had moved her here, but she couldn't think of anyone who would be able to get past that Golden Servant of hers.

"Just…. Just wha...?" She tried to wonder aloud but she felt her head ache once again. Her breathing was ragged and while she could move her head, her body didn't seem to listen to her.

"I apologize for all of this, Miss Naomi." An elderly voice resounded next to her as an old man suddenly helped her sit up properly on the sofa.

"Who… who are you?" she asked the old man.

"Please remain calm, after hearing what I'm about to tell you," the old man said and she wondered what he meant by that.

"First of all, I want to apologize…" the old man said as his face contorted into an expression that mixed regret and sadness.

He began to talk and while Naomi couldn't fully understand what he was saying, images began to pop into her mind. Memories of whatever she remembered before appearing in that room, she could remember that orange-haired man who tortured her, and the very thought of him sent shivers down her spine. The woman who could be her sister and that talk she had with her Servant were all real.

"…So I brought you here…" The old man continued to talk without noticing his words were ignored, except for those last ones.

"You what?!" she yelled, making the old man stop and look at her with a shocked expression. "You brought… you brought me here?"

The old man just nodded.

"Wh-where are we?"

The old man was about to answer her when a third voice intruded in on the conversation.

"Get away from her, Zelretch." Cattleya spoke with a hint of venom in her voice. Her anger was evident and the old magus could tell that the best thing he could do was comply.

Naomi saw how Zelretch began to back down as a girl who seemed strangely familiar to her got closer and knelt down to check her condition.

"How do you feel?" Cattleya asked her as her expression changed into one of concern.

Hearing her voice again made her remember whom it belonged to.

"Sa… Sakura?"

Cattleya's eyes widened for a second before she smiled once more in front of Naomi.

"Yes, that was my name. But I'm known as Cattleya Velvet now."

"But how… you were just a little girl…"

Confusion was normal for Naomi, as the last time she saw Sakura she hadn't been more than five years old. Yet her voice and her face hadn't changed much from what she remembered.

For Cattleya, seeing that girl evoked a warm feeling inside that only her older sister had managed to create before, and that was the very reason behind her anger towards Zelretch, for using the girl as another pawn. That wasn't the only reason, but she needed to confirm it.

"We came to a different reality, a parallel word if you want to call it, and right now in the city outside this room, the Final Holy Grail War is underway."

Shock filled Naomi's expression, but her concerns weren't over the sudden situation, but instead were a little more banal.

"Send me back!" she yelled, grabbing Cattleya by her shoulders. "I need to go back! Gilgamesh is on his own!"

While she wasn't sure of the relationship they shared anymore, he had protected her and supported her during all the days they had been fighting together. Sure he liked to tease and sometimes he could get on her nerves, but she knew she cared about him.

In that moment she realized something. As she looked at the back of her right hand she gasped, seeing her Command Seals were missing. She let go of Cattleya and rolled her sleeve up to observe her arm before pulling the collar of her turtleneck down, searching for the same marks that were there when she went to sleep.

"They… they're gone…"

Cattleya could sense her panic and so her suspicions were confirmed: Zelretch had taken that girl against her will. Not that he had done anything to her as she seemed fine in every other way, but she certainly wasn't taking it well.

"Send me back, now!" she said again.

"That is impossible…" Zelretch replied in a neutral tone.

"Why?!" Naomi yelled, trying to stand up. "What have you done to me?!"

"We need you. The situation has changed and we need your relation with the King of Heroes to tip the balance in our favor."

"I didn't even have a say in the matter! You're forcing me to abandon my Servant as if he were disposable, just to do some convincing for you!"

"Do you know who you are talking to, little girl?!" Zelretch yelled, making Naomi fall back on to the couch. "I am the Sorcerer of the Second Magic, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg!"

Truth to be told, he had been cornered. Not only had his intentions been discovered by the Counter Guardians, but the very existence of Antares made the entire situation even worse. Even if he or Cattleya managed to beat him in a battle, using true sorcery could destroy not only the island, but at least half the planet.

He should have known better; it was obvious the World wouldn't play fair. In his last encounter with Antares he learned many things about Alaya and the real reason it had deployed the Counter Guardians to the island. This had all begun because he was too careless, and his mistake would cause more than half of the world's population to be eradicated. Yet that wasn't what bothered him the most, but how the World would put an end to humanity's evolution. In his eyes that was the worst possible outcome.

"I don't care!" Naomi yelled as Cattleya helped her stand. "I'm sick of everyone else deciding what to do with my life and my future!"

Zelretch was taken aback by her outburst and to a certain degree Naomi was too. She recognized his name from one of her books, along with the term of the Second Magic, yet at this point she wasn't sure if there was just too much stress bottled up or she had just stopped caring about what guided her words.

"Send her back, Zelretch." Cattleya spoke in a calm voice but the old man could feel the threat behind them. "I and everyone else answered the call to fight here but she hasn't, and she isn't a participant. She's also refused already, so there's no point in keeping her here."

Zelretch just remained silent, not daring to meet Cattleya's eyes, which prevented him from seeing the anger beginning to show on her face as it frustrated her that his sudden decisions were making their situation worse instead of better.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Sorry," was all he could say as he shook his head. "…She was my last trip."

Suddenly Zelretch began to glow, before beginning to disintegrate.

"They won't let me keep doing as I please…" Zelretch said with a sigh. "…I will leave the rest to you and the other young Masters."

"Wha…what is happening to him?" Naomi shouted upon seeing this.

"No… that's impossible, he's being sealed?!" Cattleya said, unable to believe her eyes.

Zelretch was the one who ruled over time and space, and the very concept of sealing him was supposed to be out of the question. While he could still be killed, trying to contain his existence was useless, since he could use his power to move to another dimension with ease.

"No, it's not impossible, young lady. Just a very difficult task to achieve." A gentle voice spoke as the old magus disappeared completely.

Cattleya's eyes widened when she saw a tanned man suddenly standing in front of her. While part of her wondered when he had managed to sneak in, another began to prepare in case of an attack.

Situla saw her defensive posture and raised his hands in surrender.

"Please, I don't want to fight. Unlike the others, I would like to avoid any unnecessary battles."

"Who are you?" Cattleya said in a flat tone.

Situla noticed he was being suspected, and he scratched his forehead while sighing.

"This is why I really hate doing things like this…" he said, looking down before raising his head and spotting a familiar face. "Young lady, I think she can answer your question and prove I don't want to fight."

He smiled as he pointed at a recovered Rin standing near the back of the room.

"Hello there, Rin-chan."

Rin narrowed her gaze at him. While in her eyes Situla was the most human of the Counter Guardians sent to supervise the war, she couldn't fully trust him for a simple reason: the personality he showed her didn't match with someone who would be loyal to Alaya.

"Situla…" Rin said as she got closer to him.

"You know him?" Cattleya asked, rather confused.

"Well…" Rin seemed to think a little about how to describe her relation with him. "…He is an acquaintance of sorts, and while he's a shallow guy, he really dislikes unnecessary fights."

Cattleya observed the man carefully. She and her sister had learned the names of the Counter Guardians through Zelretch, but she barely knew anything about them, this being one of the reasons Antares' existence remained a puzzle for her.

"Come on, Rin-chan!" he said, almost teasingly. "I managed to keep this business down to sealing the old man, shouldn't you thank me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how Antares is right?" His voice turned rather serious as he began to walk around, observing the room. "While he keeps on that carefree mask, he has quite the murderous streak."

"Don't remind me…" Rin said with a sigh, still sore from her fight.

Situla chuckled at seeing her like that. "That is why I proposed to seal the old sorcerer alone, instead of trying to wipe you two out."

"That's quite generous, Situla. I'm sure you don't mind me asking the reason, right?" Cattleya interjected.

"I don't mind at all. I mean, this way the war can go on smoothly, and after all, it would be troublesome if we kept destroying the island with unrelated fights, don't you think?"

Cattleya looked at him with some suspicion.

"Is that the only reason?"

Situla's smile faded just as she spoke those words. "Well, I guess I can't hide everything, can I?"

Naomi observed the conversation, not fully understanding everything they addressed. She couldn't help but notice that the woman who just showed up kind of resembled her stepmother. As she continued to listen, her head began to pound again.

Fire. Lurid flames were consuming her and everything around her, and a crimson knight was standing in front of her, looking at her with a grin on his face.

"We have to leave!" Naomi tried to exert a little self-control, but after seeing such a vivid vision, her mind was screaming at her to run.

Cattleya and Rin turned and looked at her, not really understanding what she meant, but Situla just smiled while nodding at her reaction.

"I was about to say the same," he sighed. "I don't know how that girl knew about it, but he's coming all the same, you know?"

Cattleya immediately knew who he meant, and while she didn't fear him, she knew that their fight would have no winner.

"What do we do, Cattleya?" Rin asked her.

She didn't need to think about her decision. Until she could find a way to kill him, fighting would be useless and something inside of her told her to listen to Naomi's warning. While she herself couldn't die, that didn't apply to her sister or Naomi.

"We'll retreat for now. Meeting with the other Masters brought here takes priority."

He had said it himself: he couldn't harm participants, so being surrounded by legitimate Masters would give her time.

"A very wise decision," remarked Situla. "As I thought you would choose to do that, I prepared your ride."

Those words raised some brows, but just as he finished the wall behind him shattered loudly into pieces, revealing a very familiar chariot and a red-haired man who brought a smile to Cattleya's face from first glance.

"Get on," Iskandar said seriously as Cattleya walked closer to him and Rin helped Naomi to stand and walk.

The very moment they mounted the chariot, Iskandar pulled the reins on his bulls and Situla saw them disappear at lighting speed. He smiled as he began to wonder how long it might take them to be at a safe distance.

"Aren't you going to say anything, old man?"

"Is there any point in me talking?" A voice spoke, one only Situla could hear.

"True. I was wondering if you would try to communicate with those girls, but you didn't say a single word."

"It gives them more time this way. In other words, it increases their possibility of victory."

"Glad that you are being so cooperative."

"But before your partners arrive, let me ask you a question."

"I don't mind."

"Just… why?"

"Because, unlike the others, I haven't lost my faith yet. I still kept my humanity, and I live to see the day where humanity rises to the heavens."

Zelretch only looked at the tanned man with amazement, admitting he exuded a different presence than the others, one that was more trustworthy. He closed his eyes and decided to rest for the time being.

Situla wondered to himself as he pictured the physical seal on Zelretch. Since he hadn't put too much thought into the form he wasn't going to complain, but part of him couldn't help but feel disappointed. If he had to describe it, he would call it a cage of black metal. The old magus hadn't disappeared in a complete sense. He was there, but couldn't interact with the world around him, though at the same time he was still present. A dark matter based seal, it was there but wasn't visible. A simple paradox that prevented him from jumping through worlds.

Seconds later a portal of flames appeared in the middle of the room, from which Antares and Kaus emerged.

"Where are they?" Kaus half-asked, half-threatened.

Situla's only answer came in the form of him raising his arms, feigning ignorance.

"Don't lie!" Kaus yelled as he made his scythe appear in his right hand.

Antares seized Situla by the shoulders and examined his face like he had on the first day, seeking any signs of deceit. This was the reason Situla had requested help in transporting Cattleya and the others, so he could say he didn't know without actually lying.

"You have Zelretch?" Antares asked.

"Yes, he is next to me," Situla said with his usual smile. "Do you wanna see?"

"No, I believe you," Antares said as he began to walk away, leaving behind a smiling Situla and a confused Kaus.

At least, he had been walking away when he violently spun around with his gigantic blade in hand and thrusted it towards Situla heart.

The power released by that move was enough to blow off the roof of the room, and of the entire building. Antares' eyes stayed cold as he saw how Situla had managed to block his blade, parrying it to the side. Blood dripped from it as the Counter Guardian maintained his smile.

"Something wrong?" Situla asked casually.

"No. I just needed to be sure you hadn't been lying. You would have felt so much relief when I walked away that you'd be unable to block."

"That is quite an extreme measure, don't you think?" Situla said with a laugh.

"Sorry old friend, but as I said, I needed to be sure." He turned his gaze towards Kaus. "We are leaving."

And so the three figures disappeared along with the imprisoned Sorcerer.

* * *

"Thou trustest in him?" Archer asked aloud on the balcony while she continued to watch over the city with the green-haired man nearby.

Achilles was genuinely surprised by the fact she was initiating a conversation. He wasn't sure how it had become rather common for the two of them to spend time together on that balcony since she woke up a few days ago. Yet while he enjoyed her company, he wasn't sure if it was the same for her, as every time he saw her look at the city it was like watching a hunter searching for its prey, that probably being the main reason she always kept silent, until now.

"Who are you talking about? There are few people I actually trust," Achilles said while he kept looking at her, lying atop a couch on the veranda.

"Shirou."

Achilles understood where her thoughts were coming from. He disliked Shirou Kotomine, but for Achilles, trust was something completely unrelated to favor. He had learned he didn't need to like a person to be able to trust him, yet in this case he agreed in both areas.

"I don't. Not one bit."

The reason for his lack of trust didn't have anything to do with Shirou being the one to order a retreat back on the first day, but the very fact that he was not only his Master, he controlled almost every Servant in his faction, with the exception of Karna and the Saber they hadn't met yet.

"I see. So thy thoughts agreed with mine."

"The very fact that our Masters surrendered themselves to him is already strange enough."

"I concur. Thou spake of this with anyone else?"

"I didn't need to; he already knows I don't trust him."

He saw a hint of surprise in Archer's eyes before she nodded.

"Soothly thou art unable to conceal thy mind."

"That is quite hurtful…"

"On the contrary, I find that honesty quite refreshing."

Achilles was not used to being the one reacting from other's words, yet he couldn't help but smile about her straightforward nature.

"Say, Nee-san, what are you going to do when you find the prey you're searching for?"

Archer blinked as she tilted her head to one side, and while that gesture looked adorable in his eyes Achilles continued to wait for her answer.

"I know…" she said after a while, "I know it true, I wish to meet him, and that is all."

She wasn't lying. After all, such a wish was born quite recently. Had she never known he was here she wouldn't have sought him out, but after learning about it she couldn't ignore him. Yet, at the same time she couldn't understand the reasoning behind it.

Achilles just looked at her expression of confusion and sighed as he closed his eyes for a nap.

"Then I will assume that if possible, we should avoid him fighting alongside us, right?"

"Aye." That was the only answer Archer gave him before returning her gaze to the city.

* * *

Jeanne sighed, worried about her conversation with her Master. She wondered about why she acted the way she did, but she had already learned that trying to understand her way of thinking was completely impossible.

Another sigh escaped her lips. On the other hand, being able to walk freely through the mansion was something she found pleasant, as during the first days she had been forced to remain in spirit form to keep her existence hidden.

As she continued to walk through the halls she heard groans of pain. Without thinking, her nature as a protector and helper led her to the source of the groaning. She gasped when she found Breno resting at the bottom of the wall, gasping for air.

She hurried towards him, not really knowing what to do. When it came to treating others she was quite useless.

"What happened?" she asked.

Breno's only answer came in a cough of blood that stained his shirt and tie, yet those reactions barely showed the pain Breno endured. He felt as if his body was burning, but it was especially bad in his left lung. Even when there was no cause, he could see blood flowing from a wound that wasn't actually there.

He couldn't breathe, his vision blurring to the point he couldn't hear Jeanne's words, or even notice her presence. Had Jeanne arrived a few minutes ago she would have found him in perfect condition. In truth there was no logical explanation for the sudden episode the Spaniard was suffering.

Jeanne continued to look at him, checking around for anyone else nearby that could help her. She considered the idea of running through the mansion and seeking help, but she was concerned about leaving Breno alone. While she continued to wonder what to do, there was a gasp for air as if the pain decreased, and the Spaniard's condition began to stabilize.

On his end, Breno felt the fires gradually subside. His vision become clear again and he could no longer see that familiar cut and wound he had suffered before. It had been a sudden affair, and though he wasn't sure how long it had lasted, he recognized that pain. It was impossible for him to forget. Whenever he tried to forget that pain, something that had been imprinted into his very mind and soul, it just resurfaced again. It was the very same pain he suffered at the moment of death.

"Master Breno?" Jeanne asked attentively, seeing him grow calmer. "How do you feel?"

"Ruler?" Breno realized then he wasn't alone. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard some strange sounds, and after I followed them I found you here, gasping for air."

Breno didn't look at her, unable to grasp the words. It was humiliating for him to be seen in such a moment where even he didn't understand what just happened.

"It was nothing," he said dryly as he straightened up and tried to walk away.

But before he could take a single step, Jeanne stopped him by grabbing his arm. The Spaniard stumbled and he almost fell before Jeanne supported him.

"You aren't alright," she said, her voice filled with concern. "What happened?"

There was no way Breno could answer, not only because he had no idea, but because his pride was something that, while at times causing him to make grave mistakes, was also something that composed the human being known as Breno da Rocha.

"So it has begun to happen?" Ginevra's voice came from behind them.

"My lady?" Jeanne asked as she saw her Master appear with a rather serious expression on her face. "You know what happened?"

"I have my theories."

"What do you mean?" Breno asked, slightly pushing Jeanne away to confront Ginevra.

"You sure you want to know the answer?" she said with a wicked smile. "To tell you the truth, it would be better for you to remain ignorant."

"Don't test my patience, supervisor."

"Is that how you ask a question?" she asked, feigning indignation. "Usually you kneel and ask more respectfully."

"You…" Breno trailed off as he gritted his teeth.

The rage he emitted was almost palpable. Normal people would be afraid in the presence of such hate, yet for Ginevra, who had seen worse horrors, the rage of a mere boy was nothing.

"I recommend that you stop now. You barely managed to avoid being killed by Tokiomi, so someone like you can't even touch me."

"Answer me!"

"Your life is running out," she said at last, her smile fading, tired of the attitude the young man was giving her.

"What?!"

"You died once, didn't you? And to resurrect the dead is not something just anyone is capable of doing. In fact, even for me that is impossible. The only one capable of such a feat should be the Third Sorcerer, but I doubt your case was its doing."

"Then my lady, what does that mean?" Jeanne asked.

"I'm not sure about the details, but whatever trick Zelretch used to extend your life is beginning to run out."

"But why?! Why now?"

"The reason is obvious, don't you agree, boy?" Ginevra said while looking at Breno, who seemed in shock and unable to fully understand her words.

"The… the war," he said in a barely audible whisper.

"That's right. Not only are you straining your body in fights, but you also provide mana for your Servant, who has been using more power lately."

Breno didn't answer in any way and just lowered his head. Seeing this, Ginevra began to walk away.

"Wait milady!" Jeanne yelled, making Ginevra stop, yet she didn't turn around. "Is there not a way to help him?"

Ginevra sighed. Her Servant didn't know that her pity in cases like these, though well-intentioned, was more painful than the truth itself.

"Had I been there when Zelretch performed his little trick, I might be able to do something, but as I wasn't, I can't. Trying to mess with whatever that old man did would be more dangerous."

Ginevra continued to walk away.

Breno also began to go in the opposite direction, leaving a confused Jeanne standing alone. As Ginevra went down the hallway and back to her room, a familiar figure stood in her way.

"I didn't take you as one who would eavesdrop on other people's conversations, Mister Wells."

She smiled seeing Leo grimace from being called by his last name, but such a reaction only lasted an instance as he returned to his cold expression.

"I'm not," he said simply as Odysseus appeared behind him. "He does though, and he just happened to share what he heard."

"Aren't you a sneaky one?"

"I prefer to be called a very curious person, if you could."

"So are you going to be a good teammate and ask me to help him?"

"No," Leo said flatly. "If you already say you can't, then I doubt I can change your mind. Not that I would even try."

"Such warm feelings."

"It's his business, and unless he asks for help I don't plan on doing anything."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Tell me something, Ginevra. Does Zelretch really expect us to win, or are we just sacrificial lambs for some plan that old man has?"

Leo didn't let any emotion show in his words. From the very beginning he didn't trust the old magus. After all, who would trust the person who kidnapped him while he was sleeping?

On her end, Ginevra began to wonder if he was the only one who realized Zelretch wasn't being completely honest with them. The fact that Breno was going to die either way kind of made them look dispensable.

"Good question, I wondered that myself," she said nonchalantly as she continued to walk.

"I'm no one's pawn, Ginevra," Leo stated outright.

"I'm being serious here. Trying to understand what goes through that old man's mind is something impossible to do, even for me."

"Is that so?"

"Honestly, I doubt he's betting everything on you kids, but I don't know what else he could be planning."

"Alright, one last question: are you our ally, or his?"

"That depends on you and the others. I am helping you because I despise the forces that rule this war, using humanity as simple pieces in their game. If you can break that system, I will continue to help, but if you fail, don't expect me to die alongside you."

The two looked at each other straight in the eye for a few seconds.

"Fair enough," said Leo. "So as long we keep getting results, you are our ally, but if the boats begin to sink you're leaving first."

"I'm glad you understand."

"Just wanted to make things clear."

Ginevra gave him one last smile before leaving.

* * *

Sakura was looking at the ceiling of her bedroom. She really wanted to help Shirou with the chores, but he had told her to rest because it seemed like she had a fever. Yet for Sakura, to rest was impossible, because each time she closed her eyes she would see those images. Moments of a life that wasn't hers, memories she hadn't made herself, and the worst part was him and he would be there.

Since last night she had already accepted that those dreams were illusions the black shadow was showing her. Not truly, since she had known all along but continued to deny it. And those flashbacks weren't the worst, but now she knew what feelings the other her experienced in each of those moments.

The relation that other her shared with the Hellhound was almost the same she shared with Shirou. Both had given them a place to belong when they needed one the most, both had trusted that mask she wore to conceal her darkness, and they even exchanged the same promise with her:

"I will definitely protect you."

She could hear the two of them saying the very same words, and instead of making her happy it bothered her. More than that though, it made her doubt. Two cases so similar, she couldn't help but fear Shirou would make the same choice.

"He already has Nee-san after all…" she said in a whisper as she sat on her bed and hugged her knees.

She didn't know what was happening to her, but if the visions were her future then she wouldn't be able to stop it.

A light knock sent her mind back to the present as she positioned herself better.

"Senpai?" she asked tentatively.

The door opened and the first figure that emerged was one of the young Masters she had met the night before. She sighed in relief.

"Sorry to bother you," Kousuke said, slow entering the room. "Shirou told us you weren't feeling well, but we wanted to talk to you."

Sakura sighed in relief.

"I don't mind," she said, forcing a small smile, but then she noticed something in his words. "Wait, we?"

In that moment, a second figure entered the room.

"Hi," Edward greeted as he stood near the frame of the door.

"H-Hellhound…"

* * *

Well almost there in the banquet and behind the scenes alliances began to form. I was planning to make this and the next chapter one but it would be too long so i decided to split it into two. Please Review.


	35. Chapter 34 Before the Banquet

Chapter 34: Before the Banquet

I don't own any characters except my own OC. The other OCs appearing in this story are property of the following authors:

Deux Silences - Atosaki Kurokawa

Suchbass - Kage

Nomorenamesleft - Yagami Kousuke

Count Valerian - Kirsche von Einzbern

Topographic Ocean - Breno da Rocha

AzarielKayras - Leo Wells

Magister Fay - Cattleya Velvet

xo-Lenia585 - Naomi Tohsaka

I thank you for lending them to me. Now, to the story!

* * *

She felt his gaze on her, yet she didn't know why she didn't want to meet his eyes. That explained the reason she kept answering Kousuke without raising her head, trying to ignore the other young man leaning against the wall.

Crimson eyes continued to observe her every move without speaking a word. From what she had learned about him in her dreams she expected him to confront her, but he remained silent and only observed.

The answer for that was simple: Edward knew that if he got any closer to her, his emotions might get the better of him. Unfulfilled promises and regrets he wanted to bury would arise in both his heart and mind, clouding his judgment in making the best decision on Sakura. But unlike Edward, Kousuke could keep a cool head in the moment. He knew Kousuke didn't want to hurt the girl in front of them either, and that they both wanted to try to save her.

And because of that, they needed to be sure about the situation, about how deeply she had entered the darkness and how much of a threat she actually posed.

"So you didn't notice anything strange?" Kousuke asked as he moved toward Sakura.

"No. As I said, I was sleeping and when I woke up everything seemed normal."

Kousuke heard her answer in a voice devoid of emotion. He tried his best to keep his expression neutral, but it was hard not to frown at her answers. After reintroducing himself and Edward he had tried a little bit of small talk before he began to ask if she remembered anything of note from last night.

"You sure you're alright?"

"What makes you think otherwise?"

"You seem… different."

Those words caused Sakura's blood to freeze, not because of Kousuke's suspicion itself but because she wondered if he truly detected the difference in her, or if it was something else. The warnings of that black shadow were still present in her mind.

"The Hellhound knows your secrets."

As those words resounded in her memory for the first time since the guests entered her room, Sakura raised her eyes and met those of that person. The moment she saw him, anger began to rise up inside of her. It couldn't be helped; she had already labeled him an enemy.

Yet her anger didn't stem from her visions or the words of the Shadow, but the fear that he would speak with Shirou and turn him against her.

"Sakura?"

Kousuke's voice brought her attention back to him.

"Wha…what did you mean by that?" she asked, trying not to sound defensive.

Kousuke sighed, preparing himself mentally for what he was about to say. "Sakura-san, we… come from other worlds, and in some of those worlds we have… met you. Other versions of you."

Sakura remained silent and Kousuke waited before continuing, afraid that if he rushed things, their only chance to help her would be lost.

"The monster we fought last night, this Shadow, is something I have encountered before."

Sakura had to try very hard not to react. It was a good thing she had learned through years of torture how to hide her emotions. On her end, Rider wondered if she should make a move or speak out in Sakura's stead. In her eyes, the two young men in the room knew a little too much about her Master, and while she wasn't sure what their intention was, her actions would be determined by the words that came from Kousuke's mouth in the next second.

"What has that anything to do with me?" Sakura demanded.

"In my world, the Shadow was another version of you, Sakura," Kousuke said with a serious yet worried expression. However, for Sakura, that concern wasn't even visible.

Just as those words left his lips, Kousuke felt someone grab his shoulder and push him back. As he retreated a few steps he saw how a spectral hand and a dagger clashed in front of him for a second, sparks flying between the two sides. He had been too focused on the girl in front of him that he couldn't react when Medusa began her attack.

Rider manifested in front of them as she yanked on the chain of her dagger, pulling it back to her. She leaped to the wall next to Sakura and impulsively tried again to strike the two men in front of her, not paying any attention to the fact that one of her attacks had already been parried, reasoning that she just didn't use enough power.

She saw the crimson spectral hand break into pieces as Edward's arm went limp. He hadn't even finished lowering it when he noticed Rider was almost on top of them once again, and he really wished his arm wasn't so damaged. That last trick had been all he had left, and he felt his muscles go entirely numb. If his arm were still flesh and blood, their clash would have surely shattered its bones.

It was her, just like the night before his arm reacted just by being near her, yet even while the arm tried to react, it didn't have the power to do anything. Rider moved at the speed of a bullet, not giving the Masters time to defend themselves. She saw them as threats requiring removal.

She had expected their arrival since last night; it was just a matter of time—they wouldn't struggle too much in putting the facts together. Neither she nor Sakura had been there so it was obvious they would be suspected of something. Rider knew some of them had suspicions, but were waiting to act for whatever reasons they had, which she didn't care about at all.

The Servant already learned to be wary of the people around them, and that humans were mostly greedy beings who rarely did anything for others without expecting something in return. That was why she couldn't think of a pure motive for those two Masters who suddenly showed up, when they hadn't exchanged more than a few words with Sakura.

Rider's flying daggers never reached the Masters however since a mirror suddenly appeared in front of them, deflecting the blades while Tamamo stood next to her Master. As the daggers struck the mirror again Rider saw the edge of a crimson blade coming towards her neck from below. She pulled her head back, barely missing the deathly slash, yet she could still feel pressure from the cold steel passing over her skin. She used the momentum to retreat to Sakura's side.

The moment she skidded to a stop, she saw both Nero and Tamamo standing next to their respective Masters with faces that barely showed their rage, yet for Rider, whom those feeling were directed at, the emotions were almost palpable.

"Don't move," Nero said as she pointed her sword at her. "Try that again and you shall see how little I care for our so-called alliance."

Caster nodded firmly. "Try to touch my dear Master once more and I won't hesitate to take off your head, you snake."

Rider cursed to herself. She should have realized that those two wouldn't be so careless as to enter another territory without their Servants. There really weren't any excuses left—the truth was that since she first saw the black void, her primary objective was to search for a way to save Sakura. Even when Rider knew it was almost impossible, a part of her refused to give up on that girl.

"So, in the end, it's happening once again," Edward said quietly.

Sakura came back from the sudden haze clouding her mind, still trying to process Kousuke's words. Yet those words and tone made her redirect her gaze towards the Hellhound, and in that moment her eyes widened in a mix of surprise and anger: surprise because of his calm tone that lacked any ill intent, but at the same time rage, because of his eyes. The eyes that met hers seemed so sad, the very same way he looked at her in all her visions.

"You…." She wanted to yell at him, curse him for the sake of it, but at the same time she couldn't find the will to do it.

"We only want to help you, Sakura."

Those words shocked both her and Rider, leaving both completely speechless and for a second Sakura almost believed those words.

"Sakura, we don't want to hurt you," he continued. "We know what happened, and we…"

Saying that he knew what had been done to her was a mistake that Edward normally wouldn't have made. He would have realized that trying to approach her with those words would make him seem more of an enemy than an ally.

But it wasn't so easy now. This was why he wasn't able to lead others, and why he relied on Kousuke to keep his cool, because when it came to the people he cared about he wasn't able to control his emotions. He thought more with his heart than with his brain, and letting the heat of the moment get to him wasn't exactly good.

"Get out!" Sakura yelled, much to the shock of all others present. "I don't know what you're talking about! Just leave!"

"Sakura! Listen, I…"

"I don't wanna hear it! I don't wanna hear more of your lies!"

When he saw her scream like that, Edward realized he had overstepped his boundaries. He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists, unable to forgive his own stupidity. Seeing Sakura's outburst, Rider readied her daggers and the other two Servants prepared to retaliate.

The fact Sakura called his words lies hurt him more than ever, because it made Edward remember the moment when everything fell apart with the one he knew in his world.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and he turned to see Kousuke with a face that told him they had failed.

"Let's go," he said in a flat voice but Edward could notice he was as frustrated as him.

"Alright."

With that Rider lowered her daggers as both Tamamo and Nero made their weapons disappear. They began to turn back and slowly leave the room. Sakura stared down at the ground, only hearing their heavy steps.

Suddenly the footsteps stopped. She didn't look up, but it still got her attention.

"This time… I will definitely keep my promise."

Edward's words were spoken in a low voice, almost a whisper, but she heard them, the words that another Sakura had heard in another place and time. It was quite ironic, that once long ago those words would have given her hope, yet now she didn't even want to hear it.

As the sound of footfalls resumed once again, the moment in which that promise had been exchanged appeared like a flash in Sakura's mind. She couldn't help but fall into that memory where he extended his hand to her like Shirou would.

"I wish I could believe that…" she said in a nearly inaudible whisper, to no one in particular, as a single tear fell down her face. "…You liar…"

"Sakura?" A familiar voice halted her thoughts as raised her head and found one of the few people she had left standing there. Rider disappeared as she saw him enter the room, because in her eyes the less that boy knew about her the better.

"Hello there, Senpai." She answered him while forcing a smile which couldn't fool the blacksmith magus anymore.

"What happened, Sakura?" Shirou said with evident concern, walking further in. "Brother and Kousuke-san seemed concerned."

"Brother…" she said slowly, trying more to understand what he meant than to ask a question.

"Well, he and I have a similar background," Shirou explained. "And lately he keeps calling me his brother, so I kind of began to call him that too."

He had to suppress a sheepish grin at the thought, somewhat embarrassed by it.

"I… I see…" Sakura said, slightly shocked by his answer. She couldn't imagine that they were this close already when they barely knew each other.

Shirou casually left out the fact that they had been raised by the same man, but in two different worlds. He saw Sakura was trembling and while he wanted to ask what really happened he remained silent, remembering what his brother had told him when they passed each other while leaving Sakura's room.

"Shirou, take care of Sakura," he whispered in his ear. "Forget Father's ideals… No point for a hero to save the world if he sacrifices his own in the process."

Those words completely confused Shirou, but before he could ask anything else they had already walked away. Part of him couldn't help but want to take those words to heart, and also wonder if he also knew about Sakura's nightmares.

This made him oblivious to Sakura reaction's at him calling the Hellhound his brother. His words only made the resentment and fear she felt towards him grow even more. She saw the two of them getting closer as a part of his plan to turn Shirou against her.

Little did she know, those thoughts would be a nail closing the coffin on her doom. She walked towards Shirou until she was able to wrap her arms around his frame and bury her face in his chest.

"Senpai…" She knew she shouldn't do this. She knew what would happen to her and that he loved her sister, but she couldn't stop herself. "Senpai will keep his promise right? You will remain by my side, right?"

The very same promise the other Sakura had exchanged with the Hellhound would now be made with Shirou, a promise containing the small hope that this time it would be different, that unlike his brother he would be able to keep it, because she wanted him to. She knew it was dangerous to be around her and that what she had seen the Hellhound do was probably for the better. She was sure that her other self was probably yearning for death at his hands, but even so part of her wanted Shirou to fight for her, and to protect her.

She hated these selfish thoughts but at the same time she wanted him to say those words, even if in the future they would turn into a lie, even if story should repeat itself, time and time again. Just hearing him say it would be enough for her.

"I will keep my promise, Sakura," Shirou answered after a few moments, returning her hug. "I am going to protect you."

And unbeknownst to him, those words were the last remaining hope for that girl's salvation.

* * *

Medea found herself deep in contemplation as she viewed the two Sixth Faction Masters' departure from the window of the hallway in the second floor. On one hand, she was thankful that they proved her theory about the shadow's real identity correct.

She had found their sudden visit strange so she decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, which to her rather sounded like an interrogation.

At the same time she wondered what would happen to their little alliance in the future. The Shadow was a concern she couldn't ignore and the easiest way to deal with it was to kill that girl.

"If only it were as simple as that," she said in a whisper.

If they been trying to find a defensive, or even offensive, countermeasure there would be no problem, but she noticed how those two treated her with caution, as if trying to delay the inevitable and it made her realize they were actually trying to find a way to save Sakura.

"Troublesome. Had it only been Rider or that redhead boy I could manage, but even them?"

"Is something wrong, Caster?" A male voice devoid of any apparent emotion caused her to turn around.

A man wearing a green suit and a pair of glasses stood behind her with an unreadable expression that made it completely impossible to imagine what was going through his mind.

"No, Souichirou-sama, everything is fine."

The man continued to look at her with blank eyes.

"I see," he said as he walked over and saw that the two Masters had paused and seemed to be talking about something, though he didn't give it much thought. "Do they pose a threat?"

There hadn't been a time when Kuzuki had thought of his own group—let alone any others—as allies. If anything he saw their alliance as nothing more than a temporary ceasefire. Such logic wasn't the product of violence or a lack of trust; it was just an objective point of view, since all of them would become enemies again regardless or otherwise turn against each other.

A cold and ruthless nature was fitting for this man who had been an assassin, yet if anything he did trust a single someone: the hooded woman whose answer he was patiently waiting for.

"No," she answered after a few seconds. "At least not right now."

"Understood." He nodded as he gave the two Masters a last glance and began to walk away. "Call me if you need me."

"Thank you for your concern."

Kuzuki's only answer was a nod, and he continued walking.

Medea needed a little more time and information about Sakura's condition in order to devise a plan. She wasn't foolish enough to believe that the black shadow could be controlled, although she didn't discard that idea completely, either. After all, her principal objective was for her and her Master to survive. Anyone who dared to threaten her wish was an obstacle. Still, she had learned from previous experiences not to leave her fate up to such a wild card.

"I won't let anyone get in my way this time," she said, her eyes on her Master's back. "If she becomes a threat, I will kill that girl, no matter who stands in my way."

* * *

A few moments earlier the two pairs from the Sixth Faction exited the mansion, both of them wearing dejected faces. Kousuke suddenly stopped and sighed in frustration.

"That could have gone better," he said, calming down.

"Yeah… Sorry about that," Edward said, brows knitted as he stared at the ground. "I couldn't stop myself."

"There's no point in dwelling on that," Kousuke said, turning to face him. "I didn't do much good either, seeing that Medusa attacked me. Thanks by the way."

"You know her?" Edward said, raising an eyebrow.

"You could say that," Kousuke replied. "So anyway, what do you think?"

"She lied about not knowing anything," remarked Edward, "and she's well aware of what's happening to her."

"You really think so?"

"Well, she wasn't surprised when you talked about the shadow being her." Edward turned to look at the house. "She looked almost afraid, as if her secret had been discovered."

The ability to read other people's hearts and minds was something he had developed throughout the years. He discovered he could so after surviving the fire, and in his line of work he only polished that skill. But while it could be explained through the fact he survived a life-and-death situation there was another reason.

Kousuke had realized Edward was able to see things that were beyond him, this being the reason he brought him along. He also noticed that when Edward talked with her, he displayed both shock and sadness when she rejected his help and an almost fearful desperation as well whenever Sakura's ultimate fate was discussed. It made Kousuke wonder how his world had ended up, and whether Sakura Matou was saved or not.

He felt the urge to ask, but decided against it for the moment.

"This doesn't make any sense, though. There shouldn't be a Dark Grail here…" Kousuke sank deep into thought, searching for an explanation. "Alaya wouldn't let something like that interfere."

"Shirou told me they destroyed the corrupted Grail in his war, so despite that worm being inside her, she couldn't become a second Grail."

"Even if you find the source, would that really change anything?"

A voice made them turn around as a young girl stepped out from the front door of the mansion.

"Illya?" Edward asked with one brow raised.

The little girl looked at him with a frown. "I don't remember giving you permission to talk to me so familiarly, Hellhound."

"Sorry about that." He sighed. "It's become a habit."

"As long as you understand," she said, walking up to them. "I need to speak with you. Come with me."

"Do I have a choice?" Edward said, trying hard not to whine. "I'm not really in the mood."

"You do could say no, but let me ask you something first. You knew another me right?"

"Yeah?" He could guess where she was going with this, but hoped he was wrong.

"How has it gone for you whenever you said no to me?"

Edward opened his mouth to retort but no words came out, and he lowered his head in defeat. "L-lead the way…"

"I thought so," Illya said while she walked away, triumphant.

"Kousuke, you go on ahead. I'll catch up later."

"Alright."

Kousuke watched them enter the house once again before he went to leave, Tamamo appearing at his side.

"In the end we came here for nothing," Tamamo said, lips pursed.

"Not completely. We confirmed that she was the Shadow and that she is aware of it… which means our options are limited."

"But that's exactly the problem, isn't it?"

"Tamamo?"

"I know you. Kousuke. You personally want to save that girl, but you also have your responsibilities as a leader. You can't act without thinking, because you must maintain order in the group," Tamamo said gently, cupping his face with both her hands, smiling at him.

Kousuke smiled back. She could see through him like an open book.

"You know me very well."

"Of course I do. What kind of wife would I be if I couldn't pick up on something like that?" She looked endearingly at the ring on the index finger of her left hand. "So what do you plan to do?"

"I'm not sure. I'm guessing things won't go as smoothly as the last time, and I fear that after everything, we'll just end up fighting each other."

"Goshujin-sama…" She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him forward. "You are too kind sometimes, you know that?"

"I guess? Well… what do you think is happening to her, Tamamo?"

"I agree with that useless Saber's Master. Her current self is in a very bad position, and it's just a matter of time before she gets consumed by it. And yet… there is something strange…"

"What do you mean?"

"The magical energy she emitted last night was almost similar to the one I sense coming from the Hellhound's arm."

Kousuke eyes widened as he understood what she meant.

"That is…"

"Kousuke, for a shadow to exist, there must be a corrupted Grail, and if there isn't one in this world, then it had to have come from another," Tamamo said, turning serious. "It wouldn't be inconceivable that it arrived here along with any of the others and just searched for an appropriate container."

"Is that even possible?"

"Avenger is a product of the Third Magic, which has to do with the soul, and if the link the Shadow has with Sakura is strong enough, it could even transcend space and time, in the right conditions."

Kousuke couldn't object to that, this reason being that some of his companions managed to summon the very same Servants they had in their wars.

"You think Edward brought it along with him?"

"I don't think so, since he seemed desperate to avoid this situation, as did the princess."

"Then how…"

"There is only one other person who could do something like that… the one who brought us here."

Kousuke's eyes widened in realization about what Tamamo was saying.

"Zelretch…" Kousuke said, clenching his fists. "Is he that careless…?!"

Tamamo remained silent because she believed the reason for that shadow's appearance was something far more sinister, and she didn't want to worry her Master. She started to think the old sorcerer had brought the Shadow here in order to use it, and while she ignored the reasoning, she could only imagine the worst. However, her biggest fears couldn't even begin to cover what was about to happen next.

* * *

Atosaki fell to her knees with a ragged breath, unable to get up again. She raised her eyes to look at Bazett, who had changed just like her into a blue jersey and sweatpants. They were actually working in the backyard of the mansion since it was quite large, and the kids would usually play there with Atosaki when they were bored.

"Are you tired? We've barely begun," Bazett said, raising an eyebrow while looking at the exhausted girl.

"No, Master," said Lancer, appearing next to her. "I think that anyone would be in the same state if you made 'em do the same as that girl. It's amazing she lasted this long."

"What are talking about, Lancer?" Bazett said, a little offended by her Servant's words. "This girl lacks magical training, and even if I wanted to teach her anything it would take too long. So the best I can do to help is strengthening her enough to survive on her own."

"I agree with you… but isn't having her follow you in your usual routine a little too much?"

"We've only run 5 kilometers around the mansion, and there are still 15 more to go. Then after that, we'll do 500 push-ups and 500 sit-ups."

Lancer facepalmed himself as he heard his Master speak.

"Hey, Bazett, that's something even someone like me would have trouble with, you know? Can't ya go a little easier on her?"

"But I am!" Bazett said, blush rising to her cheeks. "Normally my routine is to run 100 kilometers, followed by 5000 push-ups and 5000 sit-ups. I reduced the number a lot already."

Hearing that, Atosaki had to try her best not to pass out.

"Are you really human, Master?"

"Wha…what are you implying, Lancer?"

"Now that I think about it, what does exercise have to do with teaching her how to use runes? You also mentioned something about helping her survive."

"I… was also wondering... about that … Bazett-san," Atosaki panted, completely exhausted.

As soon as she finished, her Servant appeared next to her with a bottle of water in hand.

"Thanks, Lance," she said with a smile before sipping at the contents of the bottle.

Bazett saw the pair with narrowed eyes, wondering why even though their Servants were the same person, they acted so differently. It didn't mean that she wanted to be treated like that by Lancer; after all she considered herself an independent woman who didn't need others to take care of her.

Yet, for some strange reason, it irked her.

"Hey Lancer…"

"What?"

"Are… girls like her… your type?" she said the last part in a mumble, her face turning bright red.

"Ah? Say that again I didn't hea—"

He didn't get to finish as her fist struck him in the face and sent him flying.

"It was nothing!" Bazett yelled as Lancer crashed into some faraway part of the mansion yard. "Lancer, you jerk…"

The other Master-Servant pair remained frozen in shock at such a display, unable to move or say anything about it.

"Now, as I was saying," Bazett continued calmly, "the reason we are exercising is…"

As she began to talk, both Atosaki and Lance had to think, 'she acted as if nothing happened.' Was a human casually punching out a Servant supposed to be normal?

"To tell you the truth, runes are actually a magecraft that isn't popular among the current magi. Many even consider them obsolete." Bazett began turning serious. "Atosaki, I fight using runes to enhance my strength and speed, allowing me to go beyond the body's normal limit. See, I carved runes in both my gloves and the heels of my shoes."

"I understand. But why not use the other runes, especially elemental ones?"

"In my case I've already gotten used to this style, but I wouldn't recommend them for you either."

"Why?"

"Atosaki, you don't seem able to properly access your mana reserves, and you don't have much experience with runes either. So in an actual battle, they might not actually work on your opponents."

Atosaki couldn't deny her words, remembering how Kayneth didn't even notice her attack and while it had worked on the golems, it was more because Lance distracted them, the same being the case with Gilgamesh back in her world. She could recall how tired she had been after shooting off a few attacks.

"Ah… Theory versus practice, huh," she mused with an embarrassed grin.

"Not only that, you have practically no aptitude for a fighter. You probably could, but you don't seem to want to hurt others. That's a fatal mistake on the battlefield. You just aren't suited for combat compared to the other members of your group, so teaching you those kinds of runes would be useless."

Bazett's words were harsh but true, so Atosaki didn't argue.

"That's why I believe you should use runes to increase your mobility and protect yourself. But reinforcement solely with runes can get dangerous, that being the main reason it's also necessary to strengthen your body along the way."

"So you can do it if you put your mind to it," Lancer said, laughing as he crawled out of the crater he had created from impacting the ground.

"Sh…shut up! I'm just trying to do what I was asked to, the best I can!"

Atosaki smiled seeing those two interact, because in her world most of the Servants didn't have any loyalty to their Masters—the relationships were a little more fatal than that. Seeing pairs that shared a relationship of trust just like her and Lance was somewhat refreshing, and she couldn't help but laugh a little seeing Bazett yell at Lancer.

"Wha…? What's so funny?" Bazett asked.

"Sorry, Bazett-san, it's just that you really are a nice person," Atosaki said with a shy smile. "I really appreciate that you're taking the time to help me."

Bazett looked at her with widened eyes before smiling back.

"Also Bazett-san is really impressive, seeing how much you know about runes."

"Well, it's the only magic I learned," she said as she sat next to Atosaki.

"How come?"

"Hmm, how to explain… I come from an ancient family of magi, the Fraga. According to what my father told me, our magic and history goes back to the Age of the Gods."

"Age of the Gods?"

"That's what they call the time of ancient civilizations, probably because it's said in those times the gods walked among men. That was the age of heroes and mythology, and the rules that governed mankind and the world itself were different, right down to the fundamental physics of reality itself. Shame it ended around 100 BC… "

Bazett realized how intently Atosaki listened to her, like a fascinated, awestruck child. It made her feel rather embarrassed, but at the same time it gave her a warm feeling.

"Well, my family was one that served the deities from that time, and because of their faithful service they were given knowledge about the mystic runes."

Atosaki could only remain speechless. Hearing the story of the woman next to her, the world she had entered continued to expand and take on a wondrous form. Even if it had been an accident, even if it would be erased from history in the end, the War she fought made her want to see more of this world, and know more about the new people she met.

Bazett didn't know why, but she continued talking to the younger Master about her past. For some reason she trusted this girl, even when she barely knew her. The reason was simple though: it was Atosaki's very nature as a human being to hold only good intentions towards others. There was no apparent malice in her, unlike so many others in the Wars, which only drew others towards her, encouraging them to open up to her. She was not only a healer of the body, but her presence was such that it could also heal people's hearts.

At the same time Atosaki also began to tell Bazett about her past, about the strange world she encountered before arriving at the island. Despite questioning it herself, she detailed the strange dreams she had, in which she could use incredibly strong powers and fought in different wars, even one on the moon. She talked about how the same Servant was always by her side.

The girl's story evoked many different feelings inside of Bazett, yet what amazed her most was that even after all everything she endured, this person could still be as kind as she had seen her.

The two of them talked for a couple more hours before Bazett decided that it was enough for the day and assured Atosaki she would come back tomorrow. As she departed the mansion with Lancer behind her in spirit form, her lingering smile turned into a frown.

"Something wrong, Master?"

"That girl…" Bazett stopped for a second. "…She doesn't belong to this world."

Lancer blinked a few times before understanding what she meant.

"You got that right," Lancer said in a whisper as they left the mansion of the Sixth Faction behind.

* * *

Waver sighed as he waited for Iskandar to come back, having mixed feelings about the scene in front of him. He saw Kariya sitting on the couch in the room, a short-haired girl with white hair wearing a simple black dress seated in his lap as he read what looked like a fairy tale book to her.

Normally the scene would appear tender and really nothing out of the ordinary, except that unlike Kariya, Waver noticed that the girl wasn't human, but a Heroic Spirit. That wasn't all, either. Before he left, Iskandar told him to be cautious around that girl, thought did not elaborate on the subject.

To say he wasn't beyond confused would be an understatement. He had just woken up in a strange room with a member of his faction that had been missing for around a week, along with an unfamiliar woman. According to Iskandar he had fainted because of the poison in the air and a Counter Guardian saved his life.

The place where he was treated had been the roof of the apartment complex where Kariya and Reika were hiding. They were lucky Berserker wasn't keeping watch, since the last thing they needed was a fight breaking out.

While Jack was also prepared to attack on sight, the lack of killing intent from them made her observe instead of attack, that decision being a product of the time she had spent with both Kariya and Reika.

Jack has a twisted psyche, though this was not too strange considering her real identity was that of a murderer who killed defenseless women in a way that filled everyone, even to the current day, with nothing but disgust. Yet while she was cruel she sought the warm of a home, the warm of a loving family, and she found that warmth in Reika, treating her as a mother figure.

The moment she met Kariya, a change that wasn't supposed to happen started to take place. While at the beginning she only went along with Reika's wish to help the half-dead man they found in the streets, with each passing day she couldn't help but feel more curious about the existence of the man called Kariya Matou.

It was the kindness in how he treated her that ultimately engendered that change inside of her, as he made her feel safe and warm. To her those feelings were different from the ones she got from Reika, though it was undeniably similar. Even when he was suffering, the way he treated her didn't change. He always lied to reassure her he was fine.

Her normal line of thought was to pay back cruelty with cruelty and benevolence with benevolence, yet as she continued to talk with Kariya that too began to change. Although his mind was being eroded by the worms inside his body, he still maintained some level of rational thinking, and that state of mind led to a contradiction. While he was aware she wasn't human he still treated her like one would an innocent child.

He taught her about right and wrong, concepts that at the beginning confused Jack but she was now beginning to understand, and slowly but surely the concept of mercy was being learned. Without knowing it she had accepted Kariya as her father, because he treated her as if she were his daughter.

That influence was what caused her to wait and even reveal her presence after making sure she felt no hostility. At the same time she was ready to kill them at the slightest sign of danger.

This eventually led to the present situation where they allowed Waver to rest in the same apartment. As he continued to observe how Kariya spent time with Jack he heard the sound of raging bulls.

* * *

There were many things going through Cattleya's mind as she rode once again in Iskandar's flying chariot. There were the memories of other times, yet also a feeling of peace inside of her.

Rin spoke first, breaking the silence. "Where are taking us?"

"I'm not sure yet," Rider said after a few seconds of thought. "I will decide after picking up the kid."

Cattleya smiled, knowing who he was talking about, and she hoped they would reach their destination fast. Her wish came true, because in the next moment they landed on the roof of an apartment complex and Iskandar guided the three young women towards a certain room.

* * *

He was dreaming. No, that wouldn't be completely true since the man known as Shirou Kotomine was unable to dream. As a Servant, he could not enter that state, and each time he rested his mind shut down entirely and only darkness would remain. Somehow, there were times when this didn't happen. This time was one of them: instead of darkness, a memory of the past started to replay.

He was chained and defeated, like a lamb waiting for the axe, but in that moment he couldn't have cared less about himself, even believing that immediate death would be better than remaining there and waiting his turn.

It wasn't due to being afraid of his destiny, but because of the grotesque scene before him. He wasn't allowed to look away either, although he wasn't being forced to watch. He watched what happened because it was the result of his own decisions, naivety and foolishness.

He saw how the remainders of the comrades who followed him in his rebellion were slowly killed, one by one. He saw it all, the decapitated heads of the elderly rolling in a pool of blood as their eyes continued to look at him. He saw men butchered as if nothing more than pigs, their babies pierced by spears, girls raped and then killed.

All of their faces shared the same look as his, ones not of anger or accusation but ones of crushed faith, as if asking, "Where is our miracle for believing?"

Despite this, he didn't harbor any feelings of hate or vengeance towards the enemy for doing this. He believed that their lives hadn't been taken by them, but by him instead. So he accepted it all; he accepted his defeat, the responsibility for the deaths and suffering of his companions, and even his own impending demise.

Still there was something he couldn't accept, and it was the fact that after his death, everything else was going to remain stagnant, and eventually fall into ruin. He could not reconcile the fact that after so many lives were lost, nothing would change, and nothing would be gained. It wasn't only because of his own beliefs but the fact that such results implied that this staggering amount of loss didn't even matter, that these lives and their untimely ends were meaningless, and this was the only thing he couldn't accept. So with his death rapidly approaching he looked at the sky and recited what would be his last prayer.

"So, God. Give me another chance. Next time, I won't lose sight of the bigger picture. Next time, I will eliminate all obstacles, enemies and hardships in my way. Next time, I will obtain all the good in the world. A world where everyone is happy, a world where everyone is good, and everyone is perfect. I will exterminate all evil and create a new, pure world…"

Shirou slowly opened his eyes and could barely contain his surprise when he saw a pair of golden ones staring back at him.

"You slept well, Master?" Assassin asked as she continued to look at him.

Shirou remained silent for a few seconds, in order to recover from the surprise and trying to understand the current situation. He didn't have to think too much to know that his head was resting in Semiramis' lap.

He just ignored the reason she did this, didn't panic about anything and instead continued to relax, staring back at her.

"I'm not really sure if that can be considered sleeping," he remarked.

"Is that so?"

"It was but a small echo of the past..."

Semiramis noted the melancholy in his voice, something that hadn't been present in it before, and once again she wondered about the mysteries surrounding her Master.

"Hey, Assassin, do you remember what I told you when we made our pact?" Shirou said, taking her away from her thoughts.

To his surprise, Semiramis began to caress his hair gently.

It was obvious she remembered. It had been a rather unusual petition, rather annoying to someone like her—annoying enough to make her consider eliminating him and finding another puppet for a Master. At the same time, it was his unusual request that piqued her interest, seeing how honest his words were: "O Queen of Assyria, in this War I am not for victory or defeat, but for another goal. Will you aid me?"

"Such strange words. I don't think anyone would be able to forget them," she said with a small smile. "It almost made me want to retire from the battle, or at least get a less annoying Master."

"That is cruel, my Queen," Shirou said, shifting himself into a sitting position. "Yet I wonder why you didn't…"

Semiramis didn't say anything. She stood up and walked away a few steps before turning back to him. "Because I never expected you and your foolishness to last this long."

Shirou couldn't help but let out a laugh at those words. "Then let me ask you again."

Semiramis raised an eyebrow, not understanding when he too stood, his head bowed solemnly.

"O Queen of Assyria, in this War I am not for victory or defeat, but for another goal. Will you aid me?"

Semiramis smiled out of amusement and decided to forget about the mysteries surrounding him, because that was what made him different from the others. The reason she couldn't manipulate him like he himself did many others was because he saw something beyond even her. That was what made him worthy of staying in her presence.

"Very well. Your queen approves of your cause, and I shall assist you… in order to ease my boredom."

* * *

Cattleya saw Iskandar open the door before telling them to wait for a second and closing it behind him. He heard some noises, people discussing something, and she didn't need to ask to know it was about them. Yet she was also surprised, having expected to be taken to the base of the rest of the faction—her father's faction. She couldn't have foreseen this sudden change in venue.

She was rather relieved however, well aware of the resentment her sister held for her father. Not that she didn't have any either, but she was able to control it better.

The door opened again, revealing a flustered Waver who seemed to have yelled quite a bit, judging from his flushed cheeks. Cattleya and Rin couldn't help but smile at the sight. For Cattleya it was quite refreshing to see a younger version of her brother while for Rin, it was a familiar face.

"Come in," Waver said tersely, looking at them with a little distrust.

The two sisters and Naomi entered the room following his words.

"Hello, ladies," Reika greeted with a smile.

The three of them filed in and began to inspect the room. It was rather simple, a living room and a kitchen in the left side, the latter being where Reika stood. Jack was situated near the kitchen table in front of her Master. A short hallway in the back of the room led to some other rooms.

At the same time the three of them could feel an ominous gaze directed at them, coming from Jack, who scrutinized and registered their every move.

"Who are you?" Naomi was first to speak. Her headache had passed during the trip on Iskandar's chariot.

Reika smiled at them. "My name is Reika, and this little girl is Jack."

She stepped out of the kitchen with Jack, her arms draped around Jack's shoulders.

The younger Master spoke. "My name is Waver Velvet, and this is…"

"The King of Conquerors, al-Iskandar, isn't it?" Cattleya finished for him. She couldn't help but chuckle at her brother's surprised expression.

"Oh?" Rider grinned. "My reputation seems to precede me."

"Don't get so happy about being recognized, stupid."

"Why not, kid?" Iskandar asked him as he bent down a little to look at him face-to-face. "They aren't even part of this war."

"What?" Waver's eyes widened. "Rider… just who are these people?"

"You could call them a third power present for the war."

"Third power?"

Iskandar turned serious. "Yes. They aren't part of the factions fighting, nor are they with the Counter Guardians. Isn't that right, young ladies?"

"Seems you figured it out pretty fast," Rin answered with a sigh. "But did you sort it out on your own?"

Iskandar chuckled. "You caught me. I had the general idea but one of the Counter Guardians confirmed it to me."

Rin frowned. She knew who he was talking about and she could almost imagine him smiling, as if waiting for her to thank him. While she didn't dislike him, to her Situla was one of those people no one could fully read, and that annoyed her.

"That guy… How meddlesome can he be?"

"Mmm? You know him?"

"…I don't want to talk about him."

"Nee-san?" Cattleya tilted her head to one side, wondering what could be running through her sister's mind.

"Still, Rider," said Waver, "you haven't answered my question about who they are."

"Well, I don't know either…"

"Then allow me to introduce us," Cattleya said with a smile. "She is Naomi Tohsaka."

Naomi bowed her head a little as Waver's eyes rounded for a second.

"Tohsaka?" he asked in a concerned tone. "You mean you're related to Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

Naomi frowned. Her feelings towards her adoptive parent were quite similar to Rin's. She could still remember how he had tricked her into having Gilgamesh kill Assassin, to make it appear there was one less Servant. She felt disappointed in him when he stopped acting like a father, feeling as if she were nothing more than a pawn for him to use in obtaining the Grail.

It hurt to see that he had once again chosen to be a magus instead of a parent.

"I'm only related to him in name…" she said as she looked down.

Iskandar's expression turned somber as he wondered what kind of man this Tokiomi, being denied by other members of his family. On his end, Waver didn't know what to say, and silence reigned across the room.

Seconds passed without anyone saying anything.

"Then…" Reika spoke despite not knowing the situation. "What are your names, you two?"

She pointed at Cattleya and Rin. Cattleya blinked a few times, Reika's question taking her by surprise. Seeing this, Rin decided to go first.

"You can call me Rin."

She decided not to mention the Tohsaka part because she didn't want to cause any more confusion than necessary. If anything she wanted to keep the fact they came from different worlds a secret.

Yet it would have been a good idea to say this to her little sister beforehand.

"My name is Cattleya Velvet. It's good to see you again, 'Older Brother.' You seem shorter than usual, though."

She finished with a small laugh. Waver opened his mouth but no words came from it.

"Oh? So you have a sister, boy?" Iskandar teased him as he patted him on the back. Still, Waver remained frozen. "Boy?"

Iskandar had to speak again when he noticed his Master wasn't reacting.

Rin sighed once again as she massaged her temples. She should have expected this to happen.

In the next moment Waver tilted backwards and passed out.

"I think I went a little too far…" Cattleya said as she looked at her brother lying spread-eagled on the ground. If anyone besides her were to see him like that, they wouldn't believe he was the one who would become Lord El-Melloi the Second.

"Then, King of Conquerors, why are you all here?" Rin said, trying to change the subject while ignoring Waver.

"No mercy, eh?" he commented, glancing at his Master.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Rin said as she saw Cattleya trying to drag her brother across the floor. "Now answer me."

Iskandar noticed how her eyes narrowed on him.

"I'm not sure myself, but if I had to explain it, this could be considered a place where people who left their factions can come."

Rin raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding the reason for such a decision. To leave the faction would make a Master an easy target for everyone else, so she couldn't see any point in it. Yet another factor made her curious.

"Does that include you, too?"

"No, no, not at all. I found this place by mere chance, but I must admit I like the idea of it."

"Then wouldn't it just be that woman and the kid?"

"Well, there is another pair …."

He didn't get to finish as a scream was heard coming from the back of the room. Rin's eyes grew wide as she recognized the voice, and she wasn't the only one; she could see a similar reaction in Naomi, too. Yet before she could even turn to Cattleya, Jack had already run towards the room at amazing speed, concern and fear visible in her face.

If anything, to Rin she seemed less like a Servant and more a lost child.

"It began earlier today…" Reika admitted, frowning.

Rin's mouth hung agape as she turned towards Cattleya, who seemed frozen in place.

"Uncle… Kariya?"

* * *

Kirsche emerged from one of her portals and realized she was on top of a building near the mansion she shared with the others. She had sensed her, and without thinking she left the mansion in order to find that presence.

"I never expected you to come to me…" she said with a smile to the person. "…Illya."

In front of her was a silver-haired girl sitting on the edge of the building, looking out at the scenery.

"I told you to stop calling me that," she said without so much as looking at Kirsche.

"Very well… Pleiades," she said, although the name left a bad taste in her mouth, and then began to walk towards her.

"Don't come near me."

Kirsche stopped, the reason being because it was Illya's request. Ever since that night the two of them fought she wanted to see her, wanted to know more about what happened to the girl she knew, what could have possibly pushed her into choosing such a life on her own volition. But at the moment she felt that could wait.

Neither of them spoke at first.

"It's funny, you know…" Pleiades began as she continued observing the skyline. "…when I was still human, this also happened."

"What?"

"You don't need to try to sound surprised. I am well aware than if anyone knows what happened, it's you."

"So you mean the Dark Grail."

"That's it. And you know who's behind it?"

Kirsche could sense some venom in her voice, and she seemed different from the last time they spoke. Her first thought was that Antares had done something to her, yet she decided to wait a little longer and answer her question.

"Zouken's puppet, Sakura Matou."

"You are correct," Pleiades said as she got to her feet, her back still to Kirsche. "It's kind of weird hearing you talk about another version of yourself like that."

"That Sakura is Sakura. I am myself."

"I see…"

That dejected tone confused Kirsche and the fact she wasn't able to see her face made her anxious.

"What happened, Illya?" Kirsche said as she tried to get closer.

"…I hate you, know that?" Pleiades said, turning towards her.

Those words made Kirsche stop once again.

"I hate you all…" she said as she raised her head and looked at the sky. "You… the Hellhound… Onii-ch… no, Shirou… and I hate that all of it will repeat again…"

"Illya?"

"Last time you asked what happened to me, didn't you?" she said, displaying a sad smile. "You sure you want to know?"

Kirsche nodded almost instantly, though as soon as the story started she nearly wished that she hadn't. Pleiades told her how everything had changed the night she encountered the person she used to call her brother, when she tried to cheer him up and help him make a difficult choice.

She should have noticed something was wrong the moment he pushed her away at the very beginning, but in that moment where she still loved him, she let it slide, seeing his face so distraught, like a kid trying to bite back tears.

She could still remember the words she spoke to him.

"You look like you're about to cry, Shirou. I don't know what happened, but it would be too awful if I hated you. So I'll be your ally no matter what you do."

She could still recall his shocked expression right after.

"It's only natural to protect the ones you love, right? Even I know that."

Those had been her true feelings. She loved the boy, she really did, but for Shirou, who had lived his whole life aiming for his ideal, her love wasn't enough to make him simply cast it away.

"…I'm sorry, Illya. I can't go along with such an obvious thing."

That had been his answer, and in that moment the girl tried her best not to cry, not because she was being betrayed, but because she knew that the boy she had come to love was turning into someone else. She noticed how the light began to disappear from his eyes and his tears ceased to flow. The expression he was wearing was as cold as steel.

"…I see. You are choosing the same methods, the same path, as Kiritsugu. You are going to throw away the person you love the most for people you don't even know."

She spoke with a sad voice. Those words were a plea, a plea for the boy to stop before he made a horrible mistake. And those words would fall on deaf ears.

"That's right. Kiritsugu and I are the same. If you want to curse someone, curse me."

Hearing him say those words was too painful for the girl, as it meant that the boy wouldn't come back, and his fate would be the same as his father's. While she was angry at him for such a decision, there was another feeling that overlapped with that anguish.

She was sad. She was sad for the poor boy unable to choose his loved ones over everyone else and would willingly forsake them. Still her tears didn't fall. Like father like son, the people who could have and should have protected her only abandoned her.

Had that been all she probably wouldn't still love that boy, but it was so much more than that. The first killing had been normal, but afterwards, as if he had truly turned into his father he began to kill the other Masters with no hesitation, her not being an exception.

Such acts would have been unexpected from him in the past, but she was well aware he was no longer the person she used to know. Somehow, even now she saw him for who he once was, and those days felt so far away.

In the end she fell too. The boy killed her without showing any sign of emotion or regret, his eyes cold and distant and devoid of any life. But the boy was cruel and didn't finish the work properly; he inflicted a lethal wound but he didn't make sure she was dead. He walked away and left her dying in a pool of her own blood. As her vision began to fade she raised her hand to the fading sky and made a single request.

"Save… me…"

Kirsche needed to try very hard not to overreact after hearing her story. Her eyes went wide when she understood the reason she became like this. The reason for her hate, it was because her hate wasn't the normal kind. It was love that was turned into hate, a deep-seated vitriol which refused to fade no matter what happened, no matter how much time passed.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"Illya… I…"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" she yelled as she walked up to Kirsche and grabbed her by the collar. "These feelings won't fade. I won't stop until I finish all of you! Until I get my revenge on the sons of Kiritsugu and all those versions of you who tore my life apart! Until then, it won't end!"

"No… that's wrong, Illya. Even if you do that… it still won't end."

Her words didn't have any particular meaning. She wasn't saying she didn't have to pursue revenge, since she didn't have the right to say something like that. Besides, she knew she deserved some kind of retribution, yet because she was Illya, even if her present self was a Counter Guardian, Kirsche didn't want her to live being manipulated through her hatred.

"Why… why didn't you kill me back there…?" Pleiades' voice began to lose its strength. For a split second it sounded like the person Kirsche knew.

This was the reason she told Kirsche her story. She couldn't understand why neither she nor the Hellhound would cause her any serious damage. For her, a person who had already forgotten emotions like love and caring, she couldn't understand, and it became a terrible contradiction. She wanted to escape from the pain of remembering her past, yet as she continued to meet those two she remembered more and more, and what remained of the young girl she used to be wanted to meet them again.

"That's easy… Because I love you, Illya," Kirsche said as she managed to wrap her arms around her.

She felt how Pleiades' shoulders began to shake.

"I…hate you… all…"

"I know."

"So… until I kill you, none of you are allowed to die..."

"My life was yours to begin with, so I don't really mind." Kirsche answered as she continued to stroke the back of her head.

They remained like that for a couple of minutes before she broke free of Kirsche's embrace.

"I need to go."

"Illya?"

"Remember what I told you. Those two… No matter what they do, they won't be able to escape the curse Kiritsugu has put inside them."

"Wait…!"

With that Pleiades disappeared in a flash of light.

"Illya… "

Kirsche stood still for a couple of seconds before opening another one of her portals and returning to the mansion. She could have gone back to her room but she decided on a whim to arrive in the living room. Just as she did she heard the door open, and the Hellhound entered along with his Servant.

"No matter the world, she's the same as always," he said with a sigh before noticing Kirsche. "Hey there."

"Fancy meeting you here, Hellhound."

"Well, I got caught up in something, and Kousuke returned earlier."

"Oh? So have you two decided what to do with that corrupted Grail?" she said with a teasing smile.

Edward looked at her seriously, his irises turning bright red.

"You… How do you know that?"

She smiled when he frowned. It was actually rather fun to mess with him. But as she watched him, she remembered the words Pleiades had said to her before disappearing.

"The curse of Kiritsugu…" she said in a whisper.

She knew what she meant: that no matter what his sons did, they would seek the path of the hero. To forsake themselves and those close to them for the good of all others. Such a curse was the origin of the Counter Guardian Pleiades.

"Answer me, Kirsche."

She looked at him and wondered about the choice the young man would make.

"Hey… Hellhound, before that, let me ask you about what you're going to do."

"What?"

"Need I rephrase that…? Which side will you take?"

He seemed surprised at her question, but only for a brief moment.

"I decided what to do last night," he said with a smile. "No matter what, I will definitely save her."

This time it was Kirsche's turn to look surprised. She smiled for a second before letting out a small giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm trying to decide if you're a predictable guy, or just a fool."

"How come you're always so mean to me…?"

"I treat you the way I think you deserve. If anything I am being too kind."

"You…"

She began to walk away with a smile.

"…I wonder if you and your so-called brother can prove her wrong."

Following that conversation, another day and a half passed, and at long last the night of the Banquet arrived.


End file.
